The Queen Does Not Need to Know
by AppoApples
Summary: Pulled from before the start of the Force Awakens and dropped into the Phantom Menace, alternate universe where Rey Palpatine is a compelling character, Qui-Gon Jinn, Count Dooku, and Darth Maul survive to rain choas down on the galaxy and Obi-Wan will be who he was always meant to be. AU Prequels, time travel, no fix-it, no Disney knowledge required, major EU influences,no paradox
1. Pathetic Life Forms

The Queen Does Not Need to Know

Summary: She isn't the Chosen One, but she is the butterfly that allowed Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul to survive and Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku to become the legends they should have been. A developed Daisy Ridley character sans sequels. AU prequels with more EU content honoured. Time Travel. No fix it, no paradox, no slash. Because really, Qui-Gon living would have changed everything.

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DYSLEXIA: Language disability, there will be spelling mistakes, missing words, and whatnot. I do the best I can.

Disclaimer: I don't own the world or characters, I do own my interpretation.

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Chapter 1 - Pathetic Life Forms

Another day had ended, another scratch on the wall.

Rey had to believe her parents were coming back for her. She had to, or else she was nothing. Just a scavenger from nowhere destined for nothing.

Sighing, she laid back with a hand on her staff.

Exhaustion swept over her and if she dreamed, she dreamed of the sky falling down to sweep her away into a vast nothingness. She wasn't afraid, she felt as if she were being held in safe familiar arms.

_Rey._

She awoke, feeling as though she had been called from the deepest sleep she had ever known.

It wasn't until she rubbed the sand from her eyes, she realized she wasn't in the metal hull of her home. It wasn't matts on metal below her, but sand on stone. She scrambled out of the little cave she had wound up in.

The daylight dazzling.

Taking stock of her surroundings, she found the sand to be similar enough, but the horizon was different. And for some inexplicable reason, there were two suns in the sky.

"Alright," she said to herself. She had been kidnapped. No big deal. Nope, not a big deal.

At any rate, she wasn't being held captive and she still had her staff.

Which was more than most could ask for when being stolen from their home and planet.

She just needed to find someone, find a town, find work, and find a way back to Jakku.

Simple.

And finding civilization wasn't too hard. This planet was a bit rockier, with the odd shrub here or there. And from the cave in the rock out cropping, civilization was only an hour or two away.

She supposed she should be grateful she hadn't been dropped on an ice planet as she pulled up her hood, the white cloth fending the heat off from her hair.

Upon entering the township, a swarming haven of distrustful and jaded eyes of the poor just trying to survive. She stopped to speak to a man slouched against a wall, chewing something black and smelly, "What planet is this?"

His gaze looked up at her lazily, but his gaze sharpened, thinking he had for an easy trick.

Rey held onto her staff, prepared for anything.

"Tatooine," he answered with a frown, losing interest when he saw she had nothing of value on her.

Her currency was traded parts and skill for food, she never had money, and suspected strongly, that she never would.

Tatooine? Great. A system that was only marginally less known than Jakku, and mostly for its crime rate.

She was still on a planet that was, or had been, run by the Hutts.

Sighing, she turned to the streets, determined to know them all before the suns set. She was a scavenger, but finding a buyer was necessary, unless she wanted to lug parts around from rustic shop to rustic shop. That was a brilliant way to get ripped off.

As she scanned the buildings and faces around her, trying to dismiss the panic of how she ended up here, parsecs away from home. A poster caught her attention. It was an edict that someone had promptly vandalized.

She approached it with a smile. Someone was clever, she laughed when she read the 'Republic Declares Slavery is Officially Forbidden.'

A woman with white hair and a kind face scowled up at her, "What ya laughing about, girl? Just because the Republic's rule doesn't reach here, doesn't mean it don't give us some manner of hope."

Rey opened her mouth to point out the obscurity of that statement. The Republic? They had fallen long before, and with the First Order picking up where the Empire left off, she couldn't think how looking back to the Republic would give anyone cause for hope.

She looked at the date, and turned back to frown at the woman, "What's today's date?"

The woman huffed, "That edict was released last week, if that's what you're asking? I just put it up this mornin', my master let me keep it up because he thought it was funny. I didn't think a girl like you would sneer at it too."

Rey shook her head, "Are you saying the _Republic_ released this edict last week, as in the galaxy _currently_ is being run by _the_ Republic?"

The woman was starting to look disturbed, "Have you been living under a rock, girl, yes _the Republic_, do you know of any other galaxy reaching government?"

Rey gaped at her, then scanned the older posters. Some of the frayed and dirtiest were dated were still dated in the ATC After the Treaty of Coruscant, a time that should be marked in the BBY. If this was a sham, someone had wasted a lot of paper.

She wasn't just on another planet, somehow, she was in a different time.

"Off with you, girl, I don't need no half-wit scaring off customers."

Rey walked on, her mind reeling.

What did this mean? How had this happened? Why would anyone or anything bring her back into the past? She was as useless as she ever had been.

All her life, all she had had to hold onto was her parents coming back for her, but now? Even if she somehow made it back to Jakku, what were the odds her parents had even been born yet, much less coming to get some daughter their future selves would sell off for wage labour?

She had nothing now. Absolutely nothing.

What was she supposed to do?

Her stomach growled.

Rey closed her eyes, and for a moment, she felt as if some great _sense_ embraced her, attempting to soothe her.

When she opened her eyes, she felt more grounded.

She was Rey, she was free, and she was not useless. With no more strings, she could go anywhere. She had skills, she could save up, she could steal, she could manage someway to get out of the Outer Rim. To see the galaxy.

She still had herself, her staff, and the mysterious sense that guided her forward.

* * *

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was getting increasingly frustrated with the flying junk seller who kept telling him his credits were no good here.

He was about ready to try influencing him when he _felt_ the approach of someone.

He looked past the seller's wings to a girl dressed in white, a staff strapped over her shoulder, a pile of parts dragged behind her. "He's scamming you," she said catching Qui-Gon's gaze, her voice light, her hazel eyes bright.

"Rey, my dear, you're back," Watto greeted placatingly.

She levelled a stare at him, "I'm only here because you owe me."

"A simple misunderstanding-"

"No," she said coolly, "You sent a bounty hunter after me to try and sell me into slavery."

"I can't afford a bounty hunter," Watto lied.

Qui-Gon was amazed the girl seemed more exacerbated than angry. Rather than seeking revenge, the girl seemed ready to use it against the seller for an advantage.

Qui-Gon couldn't help but ask, "What happened to the bounty hunter?"

She smiled, "I made out pretty well on selling his weapons."

Qui-Gon blinked, reexamining the girl. She was extremely fit, but she wore no weapon but for the staff.

"You could have sold me those blasters."

She shrugged. "I bested him, he shouldn't have tried to enslave me, and you-" she said, turning back to Watto, "-owe me, both if you want me to keep trading with you and for keeping the bounty hunter from calling in his reward."

Watto huffed, crossing his arms, waiting, and offering up nothing. But still, that he waited told Qui-Gon that the seller valued her.

"What were you looking for from this old scum?" she asked, directing the question at him.

"My ship needs the hyperdrive repaired."

She looked at the droid, "Do you have the specs on what exactly you need?"

"I told him he would be better off buying a new one, the parts are specific, much less the labour," Watto interjected.

She shook her head, undeterred, she took a step closer to them, "_What_ parts?"

R2-D2 beginning listing off parts, the girl nodded, turning to Watto, she said, "I'll take those parts."

Watto made an angry sound, "For what? I'll give you nothing for free."

"Naturally," she answered drily, "A trade, those parts for these?"

Watto looked at the pile behind her, his eyes alighting on something greedily. But still, he shook his head, "The parts will do him no good. Only you have the skill to fix a hyperdrive like that and all he has are Republic credits. Those are no good here, they won't keep you fed."

She looked at Qui-Gon, "Who are you?"

He had to fight to keep his face passive, shouldn't she have asked that before offering to help him?

She had a kind heart if she was willing to help an absolute stranger, even if it was partially to get back at someone who had wronged her.

"I am Qui-Gon Jinn. I'm on a diplomatic mission for the Republic."

Some emotion passed across her face that he could not decipher, and Qui-Gon stilled when he felt the Force itself alter around them, as if the Force were trying to sway her decision.

He had felt nothing quite like it before.

"I'll fix your ship," she was saying, "and in exchange you get me passage out of the Outer Rim."

"To where?" he asked.

"Anywhere habitable."

"No!" Watto said, "no, Rey, darling, you'll never survive out there. Just think, with your skill set, you won't survive without going to jail. You're nothing but a scavenger. Stay here."

_To give me business, _went unspoken.

But Rey had already made her choice and the Force seemed to be rejoicing, brushing against Qui-Gon's senses like a welcome breeze.

Qui-Gon did not understand what was happening, but he trusted the Force, "Deal, fix our engine and we will grant you safe passage."

Her returning smile outshone the suns.

* * *

Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi hadn't really expected Qui-Gon to return with the necessary parts.

That wasn't to say he didn't have faith in his Master, far from it, but he didn't expect it to be an easy task either.

Which was why he was a bit surprised when Qui-Gon did in fact return with all the necessary parts and with an additional girl to the handmaiden in toe.

He crossed his arms, waiting for them in the shade of the ship.

"Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form?" Obi-Wan asked as Qui-Gon approached.

Only his training kept him from flushing when he saw that the girl had heard him. But far from being insulted, she was smiling when her gaze met his.

"Everyone on this planet is a pathetic life form," she said without any menace, then her hazel eyes dropped to look at the ground he stood on.

Qui-Gon smirked as Obi-Wan gave her a chagrined bow of the head.

He held out his hand to her, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Grinning she shook his hand with a solid grip, "Rey, your new mechanic."

At her touch he felt the Force widen, as if some rightness has been fulfilled. He found as his hand slipped from hers that he hadn't wanted to let go, he wanted to explore that connection. Was she a Force sensitive? She made no indication that she had felt anything in turn.

His Master was watching them closely. At Obi-Wan's questioning look, he shook his head ever so slightly.

Answering a more expected question, Qui-Gon said, "Rey has traded fixing our ship in exchange for safe passage with us to Coruscant."

"Good insurance you will actually fix the ship then," he remarked drily.

She huffed, though she was not in the least bit ruffled, "If you would be so kind as to take me to what needs to be fixed so we can get out of this sand dune?"

"Running away from trouble?" he asked, fully expecting anyone from Tatooine to be a criminal of some sort. Well, unless they were moisture farmers. But she didn't look like a farmer.

Strangely, she looked like a Jedi. Her white robes were modest, not precisely the style the temple totted, but she wouldn't have looked out of place there.

He shook his head, confused as to where his thoughts were leading him, as she answered, "I have nothing here, I just want to see a world that isn't under the thumb of the Hutts."

He nodded, _that_ was understandable. He motioned her toward the ramp, Qui-Gon, the Gungan, and the handmaiden having already started in.

R2-D2 stayed at Rey's side, however.

Obi-Wan was rather pleased when he saw the focus she gave the hyperdrive. She circled it, her mind clearly unravelling the mechanisms as she started directing questions at the droid.

He reached out to his Master's mind, _Who is she?_

Because clearly she wasn't just a mechanic.

But his Master ignored the subtext to his question, _She is a scavenger, and as far as I can tell completely independent._

_Independent, as in self employed, or in she had no family or friends? And since when are scavengers trusted mechanics?_

_She didn't look back when we left, and perhaps being a mechanic is a very useful set of skills for a scavenger, would it not be, my Padawan?_

Obi-Wan had a bad feeling about his Master's phrasing.

One of the biggest reasons Jedi were initiated young was because healthy adults had family and friends. Attachments.

Almost everyone had someone in his experience. So it didn't bode well that his Master felt the need to highlight the girl's supposed independence.

_Look at her staff. See her, _his Master instructed him.

Obi-Wan was quiet for a time. He did look at her, but not with his physical sight. Closing his eyes and reaching out to the girl with the Force.

She cursed softly, almost losing hold of the wrench she was twisting.

He opened his eyes to watch her glance around, then shrug it off whatever she had felt, focusing back on her work.

Obi-Wan met his Master's gaze and narrowed his eyes, _There's more to her than meets the eye._

_Indeed,_ Qui-Gon sent back through their bond.

Obi-Wan's suspicions were rising higher as he saw his Master failing to completely suppress a self-satisfied smirk.

If Rey ended up being part of one of his Master's pursuits of prophecies, he was going to throw the Gungan off the ship while in space.

Speaking of the Gungan…

Rey turned on Binks before R2-D2 could sound a warning, her staff slipped off her shoulder. She cut in arch in front of the Gungun's hand as quickly as Obi-Wan could have drawn his saber.

"Don't touch my tool box," she said, her voice not hostile but firm.

Binks backed up, babbling.

"What are you anyway? I've never met someone with ears like yours."

He straightened, "Missa Gungan."

"Never heard of you," she said, ducking back down to pull on a grouping of wires.

"That's because Nabooins don't like us, no, not at all."

"Why?" she asked.

Obi-Wan had to bite his tongue from saying if Binks was any example, it was because they were too annoying to not be despised. That wouldn't have been a proper Jedi sort of thing to say.

"It's because wez'sa have a grand army. Humans don't like that."

Padme straightened in her seat, "The Gunguns have an army?"

"A grand army!" Binks said, waving his arms around.

"If you'll excuse me, I must check on my queen."

Obi-Wan watched the handmaiden' retreating form, the thought crossing his mind that with a bit of make up, she would look like the queen.

Binks, who seemed incapable of staying still tripped over some of the parts Rey had laid out on the floor.

"Can you all go, please?" she asked, "I should be done in an hour or so."

Obi-Wan nodded, and Qui-Gon said, "If you require anything more, just let us know."

Binks trotted off into the cockpit, singing to himself as he went.

Obi-Wan dearly wished to leave him here. But he was glad to be given time to talk to his Master in private.

Qui-Gon of course, didn't say much as he made himself busy preparing tea in their narrow room in the ship.

"Well?" Obi-Wan prompted.

Qui-Gon raised a brow, "Hmm?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I don't know what you mean, Padawan of mine. She bought parts we could not afford and is fixing the ship that we would otherwise not have been able to do. All she's asking in return is that we take her with us."

"Take her to Coruscant, you mean."

He shrugged.

"Master, she's too old, even if you believe she's the Chosen One."

Qui-Gon sipped his tea, "I never said she was the Chosen One."

"But that's what you're thinking."

He was quiet for a time, then he said, "Perhaps, hope, is the better word." His Master's eyes pierced him, "but then you feel it too."

"She's powerful."

"Just powerful?"

Obi-Wan pulled on his Padawan braid, a bad habit that he willed himself to stop, "No, I suppose not. When she touched my hand… it was like the Force was -_happy_."

Qui-Gon let out a long sigh, and Obi-Wan felt his relief, "Yes, I felt the same. The Force guides us, if we listen. But it's as if the Force is taking her by the hand, leading her about without her conscious awareness of it."

"Do you think she has any type of training? Do you think she even knows she's a Force user?"

"I do not believe so. Nor do I believe she has even realized yet that we are Jedi."

"I know the Jedi are fairytales to some people. But when I reached for her in the Force earlier, she noticed something."

Qui-Gon nodded, "She has much to learn."

Obi-Wan sat down, taking the cooling tea his Master had poured for him, "You can't take her to Coruscant."

"We made a deal, it is right that she be paid, Obi-Wan."

"No, I meant before the Council. They will never accept her, you know that. What purpose would there be in getting her hopes and then humiliating her."

"You felt her potential, Obi-Wan, and I have not trained you to gauge another's powers, though strong in the Force you yourself may be."

That was true. Obi-Wan could certainly identify another Force user, but not tell if they were strong or weak unless he sparred with them.

But he knew Rey was strong, he just knew it.

Qui-Gon finished his tea, "I will meditate on this, I suggest you do as well."

Obi-Wan sighed, drinking his tea more slowly, his thoughts though were already mulling it over. There was no doubt that his Master believed the Chosen One prophecy would happen soon, and Obi-Wan worried that any powerful Force user they came across might fit the bill.

But even Obi-Wan couldn't deny there was something different about the girl. He had met powerful Force users before. Heck, he had grown up with a few, but the spark between them when they touched...

It wasn't dissimilar to the bond he felt connecting him to his Master. And for the Force to- to for a lack of a better word, _express_, positive emotions or strong intentions was an anomaly all on its own.

In all the visions, adventures, and meditations he had, he rarely felt the Force give such concrete instruction.

If they listened to the Force, which he knew his Master would do until the day he died, then Rey was good. Rey going with them pleased the Force.

The Force was informing them that they were on the right path.

The only hesitation was that the Force had _never_ been that explicit, at least not to Obi-Wan before.

With one last gulp, he finished his tea, and joined his master cross legged on the floor.

An hour later, Padme knocked on their door to inform the Rey had the ship up and running again.

Obi-Wan rose to meet her, "So we're off to Coruscant then?"

"No."

"No?" Qui-Gon asked.

And Obi-Wan felt his Master's trepidation that their trust in Rey had already proven to be misplaced.

But the handmaiden answered, "No. We are headed back to Naboo."

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, "But it is our job to escor-"

"It is your job to keep her safe. She has a plan. Besides, the last thing the Trade Federation will expect is for us to turn back."

_Yes,_ Obi-Wan thought, _especially as we only escaped this morning._

But the handmaiden had already gone.

"This is foolishness," Qui-Gon said, standing, "I'll talk to her."

"You don't sound hopeful."

"That's because the Queen of Naboo is the most stubborn politician I've ever met, and she's only fourteen."

Obi-Wan grinned, "Your track record with teenagers isn't great, is it?"

Qui-Gon ruffled his hair as he passed, "Keep an eye on our scavenger, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan sighed, _Force help us, this is going to be another mess._

* * *

Rey felt the ship take off and was sad not to be in the cockpit for her first journey through space. But she contented herself that wherever they were going, it wouldn't be Tatooine or Jakku.

Nevertheless, she was glad to see Obi-Wan when he entered the back of the ship.

"What planet are we going to?" she asked, unable to curb her enthusiasm.

Obi-Wan tugged on his braid, sitting down on the same bench seat, "Naboo."

He didn't sound happy about it.

"Naboo. That's a jungle planet, isn't?"

He nodded, "Green and lots of water."

She grinned, "Perfect."

"Don't get too excited, it is currently under siege and the people are starving."

She crossed her legs under her, edging closer to him, "Then why are we going, I thought this was a diplomatic mission."

"It was, now the queen is planning to start an uprising."

Obi-Wan was watching her closely, she didn't mind because she had nothing to hide. The time travel notwithstanding. Aside from the history lessons and the planet transfer, Rey's life hadn't changed much.

Well, she had to do a lot more fighting then she would have liked in the last few months. Tatooine had more money exchanging hands and the slave trade here was bit more aggressive and profitable.

"Wait, the Queen? This ship is carrying the queen of a planet on it?"

"Yes, Queen Amidala of Naboo."

Rey thought about it, "The handmaiden?"

"She's the Queen's decoy."

"How do you know?"

"What?" he asked, looking a bit affronted.

"How do you know who the decoy is? Whoever they tell you is what you would believe, and if they were _really_ good body doubles, would you even be able to tell them apart?"

He seemed to think it over, and Rey found herself pleased that he was thinking about what she said rather than brushing off her words as most people did.

"I suppose not. We aren't her normal bodyguards, we were simply assigned to her for this mission."

Rey looked him over, "You and Mr. Jinn? Neither of you wears a blaster."

He chuckled, "We're Jedi, we don't need blasters."

She blinked at him, and for a moment her brain blanked.

_Jedi?_

She had to bite her tongue from saying, _Like Luke Skywalker, the last known Jedi in the galaxy who brought down the Empire?_

Because of course, if she said that, they would kick her off board, deal or no, no one wanted a crazy person around.

"Jedi?" she repeated, fighting to keep herself from bouncing in her seat. Her excitement rising further, she asked, "Is the Force real then? I mean everyone talks about it, but it's belief, but then it's tangible for Jedi, right?"

He smiled at her, "Most people ask about the lightsabers first?"

"Do you have one!? Can I see it? Can you answer my first question? Can you lift things with your mind? Can you convince people to do stuff by just saying it? Is Mr. Jinn stronger than you? Ca-"

Obi-Wan waved his hands in front of him as if waving her off. Laughing, he said, "One at a time. Yes, the Force is real. Supporter of the Jedi, are you then?"

"Isn't everyone?" she asked, then flushed, "Don't answer that, I know they aren't, but I- I don't know, believing that the Jedi were real was like believing that there was more to the galaxy, that even on a planet on the Outer Rim, we were still connected to a bigger reality somehow."

Obi-Wan had lost his smile, he gazed at her as if he was trying to identify some never before seen species.

She didn't like it, "What's the matter?"

His expression shifted to something more natural, "Nothing, just… well, as for your other questions, yes I have a lightsaber, yes I can lift things, with my mind, and yes, persuasion can be done, though the Council discourages it. _Master_ Jinn is certainly more powerful than me. I'm his Padawan as it happens."

"He's your teacher?" she asked.

He frowned at her, "You know of the Jedi and some of their powers, but you've never heard about a Master Jedi before?"

"I've never heard the word Padawan before, no. Have you always been a Jedi? You have to be born as one, right? I heard it was a family thing."

"Not necessarily. Force sensitives can be born from any race and families, although if your parents were Force sensitives that increases the chance of their offspring being gifted also. I was brought to the temple when I was very young and trained as an initiate. Being a Jedi is more about following the code-"

"There's a code? Was Master Jinn the one to raise you?"

Master Jinn walked in then as if summoned, "No, I did not become Padawan Kenobi's Master until he was thirteen."

He gave Obi-Wan an affectionate, if exasperated look.

Rey's enthusiasm dimmed a bit, she could almost feel the history between them. A father and son, not blood related.

She still believed her parents had loved her once, but she had no living memory of anything close to what these two shared.

Obi-Wan touched her hand, "Are you alright, Rey?"

She stilled under his touch, his fingers, harmless on the back of her hand, but that sense that she had felt strongest when she had first woken on Tatooine filled her senses. She thought she had felt something when she was working on the hyperdrive earlier today as well.

She looked at Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Padawan, the _Jedi._

Was this the Force she was sensing? Was it coming from him?

She looked at the Master who was watching her carefully.

"Rey?" Obi-Wan called.

_Rey._

She turned back to him, shaken deeper than she wanted to admit to herself.

The Force was real.

The Jedi lived.

She desperately wanted to see it, for the first time in her life she felt lucky.

Luke Skywalker was one man, one legend.

But Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn were real people, and that made them, at least in her mind, infinitely better.

Even if Skywalker had helped bring down the galaxy with a ragtag team of exceptional Rebels.

"Can you show me?"

"Show you what?" Obi-Wan asked as Master Jinn sat down across the table from them.

For a moment she thought she had offended him, but then he exchanged a look, or perhaps something more with Master Jinn. Because Obi-Wan nodded, and held his hand out to R2-D2, palm up.

And then R2 proceeded to rise off the floor as the Jedi lifted his hand.

Elation filled Rey.

_It was real!_

She heard Master Jinn's chuckle even over R2's protests.

"That is amazing," she breathed, as Obi-Wan lowered the upset droid, "how do you do that?"

"The Force," he said smartly.

She almost tugged on his braid, but it was Master Jinn who reprimanded him with a stern, "Padawan."

He arched a brow at his Master, but Obi-Wan turned back to her and said in a dry tone, "To be one with the Force, means to be a part of the Light that connects all living things. Jedi have the ability to speak with that Light, which with training can allow us to manipulate the world around us."

"But how do you train for it?" she pressed, "I mean lightsabers, I get, that's like training for anything else and Jedi are supposed to have super senses."

"Meditation, mostly."

"Our super senses," Master Jinn said ruefully, "as you put it, are aided by our mediations also. Our instincts with wielding a weapon are not so different from telekinesis, it just takes different levels of focus and direction."

Meditation and focus?

She could do those things, couldn't she? She had been alone most of her life, the sanctuary of her own mind and the control of her own focus were about all she had to her name.

She looked around the room for something she might try that wasn't an angry droid, because despite looking silly in front of the Jedi, she wanted to try. Obi-Wan's explanation had chimed a bell in her mind.

The whispers of legends made somehow real. The promise of inklings she had all her life offered to her.

Besides if time travel was real, and the Force was real, then all things were possible.

Or she had legitimately gone insane, in which case, why not embrace it?

Rey's thoughts came to the tool box resting in the corner. She knew those tools now, learned a functioning, if short, working relationship with them.

She let her senses explore, breathing evenly, and she tried not to jolt when she felt Obi-Wan beside her and Master Jinn across from her like warm lights. But she reached beyond them, trying to mentally lift the box from the bottom.

As the box was not alive, it was more unwieldy, but then she couldn't really wrap her mind around lifting light. She also knew that something unfortunate would result in her trying to prod at either Jedi with the Force that they could likely sweep her away with.

So dismissing the rapid tangents her thoughts wanted to chase down which seemed to rise faster with her new awareness, she focused all her attention onto lifting. Closing her eyes she pictured it, praying to the Force to help her.

She heard Obi-Wan's soft gasp, and slowly she opened her eyes, keeping her breath steady and coaxing the toolbox that was indeed floating to the table. She didn't let her concentration waver, even as she felt Master Jinn's light lean closer toward her. Carefully, ever so carefully, she brought the box to rest on the table.

She pulled herself back, like breaking the rhythm a jogging pace held for a great distance to a walk. It left her a bit winded but she looked up, a smile growing on her face, "I did it!"

Master Jinn granted her a close-lipped smile, kindness and academic interest warring in his blue eyes, "Well done, Rey, well done."

She grinned, and turned to Obi-Wan who was staring at her open mouthed.

"Is that the first time you've done that?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes, but I've felt the Force before I just didn't know that's what it was, nor," she grinned at him again, "how to use it."

Obi-Wan just shook his head, "The box didn't even shake. Your concentration is impressive."

"You know, Padawan Kenobi, you would make a pretty good teacher, once you get over yourself."

At that Master Jinn let out a short burst of laughter, the sound rich and joyous.

Obi-Wan blushed, ducking his head, "One day, I still have much to learn."

Master Jinn, however, seemed to think differently because he said, "No, my Padawan. Rey is correct, I believe you would be ready to take the tests to be knighted. Though of course, there is much we all have to learn as there will always be."

"Knighted?" Rey asked.

Master Jinn explained, "There are initiates, children who are raised at the temple. If they are then able to pass their initial training and wish to pursue further training, they are considered by individual Masters who train them as their Padawans. After years of training, they can take the final tests to become a Jedi Knight if they prove capable, as Padawan Kenobi has done."

_Children?_ So she had probably missed her cut off to become an initiate. Oh well, she would always be grateful to Obi-Wan and Master Jinn for sharing their knowledge in how to connect with the Force.

That connection was hers now.

She asked, "So how do you become a Master then? And are you still a Jedi Knight or just considered a Master Jedi?"

"Qui-Gon is still a Jedi Knight," Obi-Wan confirmed, "But he's a Master because he has already trained a Padawan who was Knighted."

"Oh, so I guess becoming a teacher then is the goal." There was something wholesome in that pursuit, much more than trying to become legendary.

Master Jinn smiled, "Not necessarily, there are plenty of Jedi who simply don't wish to take on a Padawan, and there is no shame in that. We all have our own paths to follow."

"Plenty?" Rey asked, her mind spinning. She had grown up with the idea that there was exactly one Jedi in the galaxy. Hence, why meeting two herself had been such a wonder. No one had ever mentioned to her growing on Jakku how many Jedi existed in the Republic. "How many Jedi are there?"

"Across the galaxy? Thousands," Master Jinn said easily, as if he wasn't stating the impossible.

"Thousands!?" she repeated, suddenly wishing she knew her history. It hadn't mattered much before now, but she couldn't comprehend how the Jedi could have been wiped out in under a hundred years if they were truly as powerful as she was beginning to understand them to be.

What could have possibly annihilated the entire Jedi Order?

She looked to Obi-Wan, suddenly sad. He was young, maybe just a bit too old to live to Rey's time, but surely he would have known younger Jedi who wouldn't have survived the fall of the Republic.

There was something deeply tragic about that, something she couldn't fully express or have put into words.

* * *

Qui-Gon was frowning at the incredibly gifted girl who had been ecstatic about her incredible show of telekinesis just moments before. Now she was looking at his Padawan with such a sombre expression one might have thought he had told her Obi-Wan's entire family had died.

But no, what Qui-Gon had told her was that there were _thousands_ of Jedi in the universe, and to someone like Rey who seemed enthralled by anything Jedi or Force related, he was finding her reaction nothing short of disturbing.

"Are you alright, Rey?" Obi-Wan asked.

She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking."

"Thinking what?" Obi-Wan pressed.

She straightened, "Nothing, just realizing how little I know about the galaxy."

It wasn't a lie, Qui-Gon determined, but this was the first instance since meeting her that he thought she might be hiding something.

Which was to be expected he supposed, they were strangers after all.

_You would have thought you just told her all the Jedi died, not that there are thousands of us,_ Obi-Wan remarked in his thoughts.

Qui-Gon thought back, _I was thinking the same._

He was also thinking he would be willing to take Rey on his next Padawan with or without the Council's permission.

This, however, he did not share with Obi-Wan who had a tendency to wage an internal war with himself every time Qui-Gon actively disregarded the Council.

But for the Chosen One, for a chance of inciting real changes in the galaxy, in reaching some true balance in the Force? Qui-Gon didn't care what the Council thought or didn't think.

What was more, Rey herself intrigued him, regardless of the Force that seemed to be tugging the three of them together.

Obi-Wan was an extremely dedicated acolyte, and his dry sense of humour was one that Qui-Gon could appreciate. But in Rey, he saw a kindred spirit.

He had a feeling that if he took her hiking through the jungle to find rare flowers or walking the length of an ocean for a day she would find the worlds around her (a task Obi-Wan treated as meditation practice rather than an activity in its own right) to be just as fascinating as being able to lift an object with her mind.

Then there was her connection to the Force which was in itself outstanding. He had gleaned no deceit when she said she had never used telekinesis before. Qui-Gon might be able to insist on her being trained, with power like hers it would be foolish to not give her formal training.

As quite clearly she could be dangerous without it. Or that could backfire, the Jedi had an unofficial tendency to ignore, imprison, or kill what frightened them.

'_I've felt the Force before,'_ she had said, which was interesting, very interesting. Considering even on a planet like Tatooine, most Force users would have been sorted out. Perhaps not by the Order, but lesser Force users had a lot of options, and there was little that was lesser about Rey.

"I'll make us tea," Obi-Wan said, giving Rey a worried look as she pulled her legs up to her chest.

_She's alright,_ Qui-Gon assured his Padawan. He could feel her emotions through the Force, she was contemplative and had thought of something sad. He sensed that compassion had been the cause, not a personal loss.

"You would be welcome to stay with us on our return to Coruscant. I can't say how long we will be on Naboo, but our stay will not be permanent," Qui-Gon offered.

"Return with you?" she asked, tilting her head, clearly inferring he meant more than simply returning to their planet.

"You said you wanted to travel the galaxy. Naboo is one planet, unless you like it enough to build a life there, you would be welcome to join us on Coruscant."

"By join you, do you mean at your home?"

Powerful, kind-hearted, and _intelligent_.

Yes, Qui-Gon no longer cared if she was the Chosen One or not, he wanted her to become a Jedi. And he wanted to be the one to help her get where she wanted to be, wherever that was.

"Yes, you would be my welcome guest, the Jedi Temple is grand but the rooms are mod-"

"There's a Jedi Temple?" she asked, her previous enthusiasm returning with another smile.

Obi-Wan came back then with tea, Rey took a cup with sincere thank you, crossing her legs and sitting up straighter.

"You will make a good Jedi if you like meditating as much as you like tea," Obi-Wan noted, tone playful.

She looked at him sharply, "I could become a Jedi?"

"Uh, no," Obi-Wan said, backtracking quickly, "you're too old."

Qui-Gon thought that this would elicit another drop in her mood, but Rey seemed to have been troubled by something else entirely because at Obi-Wan's response she only smiled, "I thought as much. Oh, well maybe in the next life."

"It doesn't hurt to ask," Qui-Gon noted, receiving a suspicious glare from his Padawan who knew him a tad too well.

"Did you both grow up at the Jedi Temple then?"

Looking relieved, Obi-Wan began to recount bits and pieces of his childhood.

Qui-Gon didn't always approve of the way the initiates were brought up, thinking that they should have been allowed more of a childhood, more freedom to make mistakes, and question their teachings, but listening to his Padawan, he knew it wasn't all bad.

He couldn't help but think though, if he could train an older student like Rey, and if she did well, then perhaps other Force users could be brought to them. Perhaps the way they taught at the Temple might be adapted. Qui-Gon saw too many faults in the current system for change to not be actively discussed.

And yes, he was well aware that he had turned down a Council seat when he could have been placed in a position to mandate change. But that had meant giving up being Obi-Wan's teacher which he hadn't in the end been able to do. Here, with Rey was another opportunity to change the fates, he could feel it in his bones, and unlike in his decision whether or not to take the Council seat, he was certain.

The Force was certain.

* * *

As they were landing, they let Rey into the cockpit.

She gasped at the sight before her.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked her curiously.

"I didn't know there was this much green in the whole galaxy."

She thought she could _feel_ Master Jinn smiling, but when she glanced at him his face was stoic. Turning back to the glass, she was somewhat disappointed when they flew out of the reach of Naboo's sun.

The Queen and her handmaidens trooped out first with Master Jinn beside them. Obi-Wan was walking with Rey behind the rest of the entourage.

The rich soil was soft beneath her feet and the giant leaves above her should have felt utterly foreign.

But Rey felt as if she had been here before.

Flashes of memory.

A woman calling her name, ducking behind a tree.

But the memories dissipated quicker than they appeared, whispers of long-forgotten dreams.

But they couldn't be memories, could they? Could she have originally been from a planet like this? From Naboo itself? And how could she not remember it?

Of course, the likelihood that there was something deeply wrong with her was almost assured.

She couldn't remember anything about her past except that she loved her parents. She also thought that she was from the future.

An ironic combination to be sure.

"Relax, Naboo isn't known for its roaming forest monsters."

She gave him an exasperated look, "I lived in the middle of the desert with roving groups of Sand People, trust me, I'm not afraid of the forest."

No, she was much more afraid of the reason her parents had brought her to Jakku if they had been Nubians.

She could think of no reason to bring her there, it wasn't like there had been anyone rich enough on Jakku to make it worth anyone's while, not like the current bargains someone might scrape from Tatooine. And if they were Nubians who didn't want money, then why hadn't they given her up for adoption if they came from a prosperous planet?

Unless her parents had needed to hide her for some reason.

But hide her from what? Or from whom?

She pushed it from her mind. She knew nothing for certain, she couldn't prove that she was born here, and she had no way of divining the future.

So she put it aside, enjoying the chirping of insects and the density of the foliage.

Rey still couldn't quite believe she was travelling with Jedi and the Queen of Naboo. Nor that she herself had been born gifted with a connection to the Force.

They came to the shoreline, and in the distance, the illuminated domes of a palace reflected on the water.

It was beautiful.

Again, she felt Master Jinn looking at her, this time she caught his smile and she smiled back.

There was something infinite about Master Qui-Gon Jinn, a feeling like no matter what, he would always be there for her. She didn't exactly trust that feeling, but she wanted to.

Obi-Wan touched her shoulder, "Here, you'll need this to reach the Gunguns."

She took it, finding it to be some type of small respirator.

"I can't swim," she said.

Obi-Wan nodded, "I didn't expect you to be able to, you can hold onto my shoulders and either kick your feet or simply hold on. Carrying people underwater isn't all that difficult."

Seeing as she had never been submerged in so much as a water trough, she would have to take his word for it.

Binks started protesting, "Missa not going back in there!"

"Quiet," the Nubain captain hissed.

"You will bring us to see the Gungans," the Queen intoned.

"No, missa ain't goin' back, missa almost didn't make it back last time."

"I'm confused at him surviving this long," Rey muttered, only half joking to Obi-Wan who nodded his agreement.

"Missa-"

"I can lead you, Queen Amidala," Master Jinn said, "I doubt they will be pleased to see us so soon, but I remember the way."

"Good enough," she said, holding her hand out for a respirator.

Rey was sort of amazed the woman didn't take off some of her layers, her headdress alone looked like it would drown her.

"Missa not going back," Binks said, crossing his arms, then before anyone could say anything, he made a mad dash into the forest.

No one called out to the renegade Gungun or tried to follow him.

The Queen with Qui-Gon descended below the quiet surface of the water.

Rey waited with Obi-Wan who was ensuring no immediate dangers were trying to follow the Queen when they heard an animal roaring and a Gungun wail.

"I thought you said Naboo didn't have forest monsters."

"No, I said it wasn't known for them," He was quiet for a moment longer, listening. "Come on, I don't think we were followed."

"No tears for the Gungan?" she teased, thinking she should have more compassion for the once living being.

But Obi-Wan seemed to be in agreement with her way of thinking, "Some people are just too stupid to survive."

He walked into the water, and held his hand out to her. She stepped in cautiously after him.

"Afraid?" he asked, putting the respirator in his mouth.

She took his hand, shaking her hand, "No, I just feel like I'm dreaming, and I'm dreading waking up."

* * *

Rey's hold was firm around him, but she didn't cling. She wasn't a bad swimmer either when she remembered to kick, but the closer they got to the underwater palaces the more he could feel her stunned appraisal.

Qui-Gon and her were going to get along well.

His heart sank a bit, he was honoured to learn that his Master thought he was ready to take the trials. He had been working to become a knight his entire life after all. But in moving on that meant fewer adventures with Qui-Gon.

And in knowing his Master, he knew Rey would be his next Padawan.

The Force was literally willing it so, and even Obi-Wan thought she had potential. Aside from being unnaturally powerful and almost freakishly connected to the Force, she also had the right mindset and morals.

Sure, they had both joked about the Gungan's demise, but Obi-Wan knew she wouldn't have stood by if they could have helped. Rey wasn't the sort of person who could watch an innocent get hurt. He _knew_ it.

He also thought that living on Tatooine, surrounded by constant crime must have been incredibly difficult for someone like her.

Yet, somehow, she remained strong enough to be kind to strangers, to hear stories about Jedi and delight in the very existence of the Force.

Obi-Wan knew he had been won over by her as much as his Master when she showed more interest in his adventures at the Jedi Temple than any possible lightsaber duels he had competed in.

By the time they got to the negotiations, Padme the queen's body-double was announcing herself the true Queen of Naboo and was bowing before the Gungan leader, pleading for their help. Everyone mirrored her example.

Rey followed Obi-Wan in taking a knee, she smirked at him.

His lips twitched as he remembered that she had guessed at this possibility.

In a low voice, audible only to him, she said, "She could still be lying and we still wouldn't know."

He had to bite back a laugh.

Brushing his thoughts across Qui-Gon's mental shields, he thought, _You and your new Padawan are going to drive the Council mad._

Qui-Gon glanced up, an apology in his eyes, his response was apprehensive, _I do not seek to replace you, Padawan of mine. I truly believe you are ready to face your trials._

_And I thank you for that, but I agree with you. I am not convinced that she is the Chosen One, but Rey deserves a chance to become one of us. It is right._

His Master didn't reply to that, but Obi-Wan felt his flash of excitement.

For someone who studied archaic languages and prophecies, Qui-Gon Jinn was probably one of the most unconventional Jedi in the Order, and one of the most ready for change.

Obi-Wan didn't always agree.

Alright, _most_ of the time, he didn't agree, but he couldn't deny that his Master had an uncanny ability to do what was needed, even if his methods were as unconventional as he was.

Obi-Wan glanced at Rey who was gazing around as if she would try to remember everything.

He supposed he could only hope one day he would find a Padawan as hungry for knowledge and _life_ as she was.

oOo

"Sleep," Qui-Gon urged in a quiet tone.

Obi-Wan shook his head, _I'm younger, I'll stay up. Besides, you have been tapped._

Qui-Gon cocked his head at him, then seemed to realize the dead weight at his side.

Obi-Wan smirked at him, _You've been nominated as a pillow. I'll sit with the queens and meditate to conserve my strength. You should sleep if you can._

His Master sighed, but he was as unwilling to move Rey as Obi-Wan would have been.

The girl had had a lot thrown at her in the last twenty hours. She had a right to be worn out, and Obi-Wan could feel Qui-Gon's emotions through the bound.

He was honoured that Rey trusted him enough to fall asleep at his side.

_She's going to be a lot of trouble,_ Obi-Wan warned.

_You could take her as your apprentice, Kenobi._

That took Obi-Wan by surprise, _You and she are a good fit, the bond is forming between you both already._

_As it begins to bind you as well, Padawan of mine._

Obi-Wan reached out with his senses, feeling both his master and Rey like warm flames. Though where his Master was a hearth, Rey shone more like a candle of white flame. She was impossibly bright, yet she wasn't what she could be.

And between the three of them, the Force sang like an instrument in the midst of being tuned.

_How is this possible?_

_She is the Chosen One._

Obi-Wan shook his head, _You can't know that for certain._

_I do._

_How?_

_Because I chose her and the Force has chosen us. Can you not feel that?_

_Master Yoda has been complaining about the Force becoming less clear for years._

_Is it not clear now?_ Qui-Gon asked.

_And you trust this, completely, no doubts?_

_I trust in the Force. We are one with the Force and the Force is with us._

A Gungan soldier came around with blankets, taking one Obi-Wan laid it over his Master and Rey, remarking only, _The Council is going to exile you one of these days._

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes, _I have no fear, Dooku would take us in._

It was Obi-Wan's turn to roll his eyes as he walked away. He hadn't had a chance to meet his Master's Master, but he had no doubts that Count Dooku would indeed take them in.

On this he meditated for a while, the Force seemed neither to rejoice nor despair, it remained perfectly natural on the thought of Count Dooku being involved in Rey's future.

And that neutrality was the most normal thing to happen to Obi-Wan all day.

oOo

The revolt started at dawn.

Obi-Wan was caught between his orders to protect the Queen and Rey as they fought through guards of droids in an attempt to capture the Viceroy.

Lucky for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, neither lady seemed to require much guarding.

Queen Padme was a force to be reckoned with as she reclaimed her home. And Rey? Someone who had never used a blaster before, had spectacular aim.

Obi-Wan wanted to know if she would enjoy flying as much as he did.

Of course, if Rey's aim was remarkable, she was a menace with her staff. And Obi-Wan knew of a number of Padawans, and Masters for that matter, who would have envied her stamina as she gleefully took down droids.

In any other circumstances, Obi-Wan would have been concerned about an initiate's overt show of violence.

But these were droids, with about as much sentience as stones. Besides they had the set intention of doing harm.

Even still, Obi-Wan was pushing himself to keep up with her.

She had to be unconsciously using the Force to not even have been grazed by blaster at this point.

Qui-Gon was at the Queen's side down the corridor, fast approaching the door the Viceroy had held up behind.

That's when their smoothish plan began to break down.

The Gunguns attacking the water-front palace from the water had caught the Trade Federation completely wrong footed.

But reinforcements were being sent down.

"The courtyard!" one of the Queen's guards bellowed unnecessarily.

At least Obi-Wan mused, he was going to be prepared for his trials when he got back to the Temple. 'Diplomatic mission,' by the Stars.

"Obi-Wan!" Rey called.

He flipped over a droid, slicing it as he went and reflecting blaster strikes, "What is it, Rey, I'm a little-" he twirled, taking down three, "busy."

"How big is the Force?"

"What!?"

"How big is the Force?" she repeated, jabbing her staff into the neck of a droid, then flipping over it, letting the momentum of the motion flip the droid with her, bringing it smashing down on another.

Rey was quickly disillusioning him on any mystery about how she managed to survive on her own so long.

"It's infinite," he called to her, "it's everything."

Which wasn't strictly true, not exactly, but he was busy, Force take it.

"Cover me!" Rey told him as she lowered her staff.

Obi-Wan cursed as he sprinted back toward her, trusting his Master to be fine without him. In the nick of time, he reflected a blaster shot that would have killed her.

She was facing the courtyard her back to the firing droids, having lost her blaster somewhere, she held an open hand out to the sky.

"Re-" he began but stopped when he felt the connection that had been steadily growing between them blown wide.

He continued to cover her, but his senses were heightened to whatever it was she thought she was doing.

And then he felt her power and her intention.

She was a crazy person.

And a powerful crazy person at that, because when Rey reached out to the Force, it answered.

Obi-Wan had felt powerful Masters call on the Force, but Rey wasn't pulling on the Force, she was beckoning it. There was no subsonic drop, no wresting the Force from its ever present naturality.

Rey directed and the Force _breathed._

And the descending carrier ship of battle droids began to descend.

Rapidly.

Obi-Wan pulled her away from the open arches as the ship exploded in the courtyard. The crash stopped all the fighting momentarily, even the droids had frozen, trying to comprehend the source of the damage.

Down the marble hall illuminated by the early morning sun, the Viceroy began protesting before the barrel of Queen Amidala's blaster, as well as her body-double's.

Qui-Gon caught Obi-Wan's astonished gaze.

Obi-Wan mouthed, _Chosen One. _Saying it and thinking it for the first time without any irony.

At which his Master gave him a self-satisfied smirk.

Obi-Wan sighed, he was never going to live this down. Figures that his Master would be the one to unravel the mystics insane claims from a millennium ago. Because lifting a toolbox from across the room was one thing untrained, pulling a ship from the sky was another.

One overly ambitious droid fired at him, and he easily redirected the blast back at the droid by angling his still ready saber. Then all of the remaining droids dropped, having been deactivated when Viceroy admitted his failure over a transmission to his ship in the planet's orbit. While the ship in the courtyard grew into a bonfire of sorts.

"That was fun," Rey said, her voice breathy.

"How di- Rey!" he caught her around the waist as she clung to her staff in an attempt to stay on her feet.

"Why am I so tired?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, bending his knees to get his shoulder under her arm, "Oh, I can think of a few reasons."

* * *

"Apprentice! Answer me," Darth Maul's Master commanded.

"They captured the Viceroy, the droids are deactivated," he said into the comm.

"How did they gather an army? You told me they were stranded on Tatooine yesterday," Darth Sidious complained, "Retreat, my Apprentice, this is not our time."

Darth Maul leaned against the marble wall, glancing around the corner to see the Jedi Master go to the other side of the girl with the staff. Together, Padawan and Master held up the girl who looked like she had been salvaged from the junkyards of Tatooine.

He didn't know who she was, nor had he ever heard mention of her before. There were only supposed to be two Jedi on this mission. And yet, she didn't feel like a Jedi, though she was someone with enough strength to forcibly crash a ship in the middle of a fight. He had felt the Force respond to her, like an ocean wave rising to greet a moon.

That was not something Darth Maul had thought they taught at the Temple.

The girl looked up, and Darth Maul rolled back against the wall, certain the girl hadn't seen him, but believing she had perhaps sensed him.

Which was impossible.

Into the comm he growled, "We have a bigger problem."

* * *

AN: If you would like more, please, please review with reactions, thoughts, desires, or shiny Kyber?


	2. Expectations

AN: Huge thank you to the reviewers! I love you all! Moving forward you should know that the sequels are not my fav, but Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are two of my all time favourite characters.

KEYNote: I highly recommend the book _Master & Apprentice_ written by Claudia Gray. I will be drawing inspiration from that as well as from other mix-matched sources in the Extended Universe.

Chapter 2 - Expectations

Rey slept most of the way back to Coruscant.

Obi-Wan could feel both his Master's contemplation and satisfaction. Rey's display of power was astounding, that she had almost passed out afterwards had made Obi-Wan feel oddly better about the whole thing.

One, because it proved that Rey, despite being extraordinary, still had to abide by the same rules as the rest of them, even if the Force seemed to have awoken around her.

Two, because in Obi-Wan's experience, almost no one chose to pass out, and the deep sleep she was currently in was incredibly hard to fake. This spoke to her power not being matched by her training. She was, in other words, an amazingly powerful Force sensitive who had been overlooked and been untaught in anything related to the Force.

Including, somehow, anything about the Jedi Order, but perhaps that wasn't impossible if she was as much of a loner as she seemed to be.

At this point, Obi-Wan was much more willing to trust her than he had been.

"She could have stayed in the ship," he noted softly.

Qui-Gon looked up, his hand falling from his chin. "She was an asset today, before her show of Telekinesis."

"She trusted me to guard her back."

"She did," his Master said, he was very pleased.

"If I hadn't reached her in time she would have been shot."

"If you hadn't been there, I doubt she would have let down her guard. As I said, she was impressive in battle before she called on the Force."

"Why do you think she helped us?" Obi-Wan asked despite having his own answer. He would have helped if their places were reversed, but then he had been raised a Jedi, it was sort of his business to help.

"I think she has wanted to be a part of something bigger than herself for a long time. When I offered for her to join us on Coruscant, her fate was bound to ours."

"Despite her not knowing you want her to be trained."

Qui-Gon nodded his head, "The Jedi weren't always initiated as younglings."

"Yes, but over the course of thousands of years, there is a reason Jedi train only younglings."

"There is, but I'm starting to think Rey is not the Chosen One."

This surprised Obi-Wan, "Truly?"

"The Chosen One is supposed to be a boy with no father."

Rey hadn't spoken of her parents, but she most certainly was not a boy. "Is that all?"

"No, the prophecy speaks of time colliding and a time the Force is clouded."

"And false Kyber that shines forth, which with those orange crystals, false kyber has shown," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"But the Force is clearing around her. She's like the eye in the centre of a storm."

"So you're just going to give up on the prophecies, just like that?"

"No, but I don't want to be distracted by them either. If I am wrong then I don't want her to suffer for it. I don't want the possibility of a prophecy to challenge her place among us nor do I want her to come to believe that is the only reason she was able to train at the Temple. I believe she has the right aptitude to become a Jedi."

Obi-Wan couldn't disagree, Rey felt like one of them already, rough around the edges, sure, but there was an undeniable rightness to her joining them.

"How are you going to convince the Council to make an exception?"

Qui-Gon sighed, "So far, all I've got is likely to infuriate them more."

"What else is new?" Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, he believed his Master had been born to challenge the Jedi Council.

"There is so much I would change about the Jedi," Qui-Gon said, "So many things we could do better or improve on if the Order weren't so wedded to our traditions."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, and chided as he had done for years, "There are reasons for our traditions."

"Yes," his Master said unexpectedly, "There are, and sometimes I think we have forgotten them, or at least haven't challenged all the motives behind them."

Obi-Wan frowned, "Do you mean to use her as a study to prove or disprove why we do things the way we do? Master, isn't she too powerful to use in such an experiment?" Not to mention cruel to Rey.

"Of course not, I will do all in my power to see Rey succeed. She _will_ succeed. But though our methods were designed for younglings, if they have true merit then with adaptation, they should work for others."

"You mean to reverse engineer the Jedi way."

"I have told you that each person must interpret the Jedi Code on their own or it ceases to be a living pact. Every individual must come to understand why a thing is true or untrue. Belief, especially blind belief means little in the end. Because it isn't the doctrine that will help you when your world is turned upside down, it is the substance, the spirit of the code that will serve you."

Obi-Wan played with his braid, to say that having such a maverick Jedi as a Master was challenging would be a massive and laughable understatement. But Obi-Wan had come around, even if he didn't challenge the Council in turn. Because Qui-Gon didn't challenge things to be contrary, though it often came across that way. No, Qui-Gon challenged everything because he always believed there was more to the truth than a simple answer. More to the galaxy than could be easily understood.

"So if the Jedi Code is correct, then if you train Rey correctly, despite her age, she will come to see the truth as well," he stated, looking at the slumbering girl.

It wasn't something that could work on everyone. Being a Jedi was not an easy life, but then her life didn't appear easy either, and there was a goodness in her, an untarnished light. A palpable wonder that she had for the world around her.

And it was that, he knew, that wonder which had won his Master over.

Becoming a Jedi, Obi-Wan knew, had disillusioned many, and he thought that his Master's true challenge in training Rey would be not letting that light, her kindness be crushed by their world, by the aforementioned Jedi Code.

Qui-Gon went on, his voice soft, "Harmony and peace are all well and good but complacency will be the fall of the Jedi, and it is arrogance for us to believe we are too great, too correct in our ways not to fall."

Obi-Wan's heart clenched at that. He knew of his Master's visions, the history he saw that might repeat itself, why he looked to the prophets to understand the Jedi's own failings. Qui-Gon saw in the past in the future, and not in the literal sense of the prophecies, though their finding correlations in the old metaphors had thrown them both a time or two, it was the unfolding thread of history that revealed their doom. Old patterns reweaving themselves, and his Master's belief that the future was not so certain it couldn't be altered.

"I think," Obi-Wan ventured, "you shouldn't say any of that to the Council."

His Master looked at him with shadowed eyes but with the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips, "Oh, and what is it you think I should say, Padawan mine?"

"I think Rey is powerful enough that she could be too large a catalyst for change in the Order. And if you imply that, the Council would sooner cast you from the Order than take her in."

Something like determination flared in his Master's eyes, and Obi-Wan thought he might be serious about what he said yesterday in doing just that, in taking Rey with him to Count Dooku. But as Obi-Wan believed Qui-Gon was an essential part of the Order, he thought it would be a loss that would hurt the Jedi Order irrevocably. Not to mention the selfish reason of not wanting to be known as the Padawan whose Master had left him to leave the Order so he could train an unorthodox Padawan, whether or not Obi-Wan was soon to take his trials.

So he went on, "I think you emphasize how well, despite her age, Rey is likely to conform to the Jedi Order, and that the Force has taken an extremely positive liking to her."

"Assuming they will forget that her Master is well known as one of the most maverick Jedi in the Order?"

Obi-Wan put on an affronted look, "I'm your Padawan and I'm no maverick."

His master smirked, mirth shining in his sapphire eyes as Obi-Wan went on, "Besides, she'll need an unconventional Master seeing as she doesn't have years of training as a Jedi to fall back on. Regular teachings aren't going to be enough."

His Master grew contemplative, "It has crossed my mind that you might take her as your Padawan."

"Me?" he asked, his voice high with surprise, "why would- I mean-"

"You two worked very well together on the field, and she clearly trusts you, and what's more, you trusted her. That bond should not be dismissed lightly, Obi-Wan."

"I am honoured, truly, Master, I am, but I don't think I'm ready. I'm not even as certain as you are that I'm ready to be knighted."

Qui-Gon paused considering his next words when Rey began to stir from her sleep.

His Master smiled at her, blurry eyed expression, "Ah, she wakes at long last."

Rey sat up, the blanket held to her lap as she rubbed her eyes, "How long was I out?"

"A few hours, likely you should strive for a few more. That was no small feat you accomplished, and Telekinesis requires quite a bit of energy."

Neither of them told her that short of Master Yoda, very few could have accomplished taking a ship down in the middle of a battle. Perhaps, come to think of it, Master Dooku, but then she had yet to meet the Count.

Rey stretched her arms above her head, "It's a good tired though, like crossing the desert safely at night. Hard but not-" she paused, looking for a word, "damaging, if you know what I mean. I don't feel hurt or as if I couldn't continue tomorrow."

"That's good," Qui-Gon said, "it means you surpassed your stamina but not your limits."

Which was a frightening thought, what would she be able to accomplish after she was trained?

"But let's eat. We are on our way to Coruscant and I would imagine you would enjoy a clear head when dealing with the mania of cities."

Her face lit up at the mention of the new planet and Obi-Wan went to get meals for them without being asked.

The meals weren't much but Rey thanked him and approached the food with a reverence that showed the simple meal meant more to her than a trunk of jewels. He had missed meals before, been on short supplies during missions, but he had never known a life where he feared he might never eat again. He realized that no, he couldn't have been her Master. Qui-Gon had a way of understanding people, whereas Obi-Wan still had much to learn.

* * *

Coruscant was almost nauseatingly busy.

It was fascinating, but she thought that Naboo was a more comfortable environment, even disregarding her flashes of memories.

"Not what you were expecting?" Obi-Wan asked as they walked along the platforms.

"Of Coruscant?" she asked, thinking of the political hub she had heard of in her time despite the Republic's fall. She had the nagging suspicion there was more crime here than on Tatooine if one were to scratch beneath the surface, but she had expected that, "I expected Coruscant to be something like this. I hadn't expected this is where the Jedi Temple would be. I thought, I'm sorry, it's just I thought the Jedi were more a religion than a political organization."

A passing Twi'lek gave her a disdainful look but Master Jinn turned a warm gaze to her, "We are both, but I would agree that Coruscant isn't ideal, at least for those outside the Council."

Obi-Wan disagreed with this, "Coruscant is the home of the Jedi, it's our centre and has been for a millennium."

Rey looked at the ships, all of them outdated in her eyes despite their sleek shapes and apparent wealth. She wondered how it would have looked in her time. Had the Empire stifled it's growth, or had it tripled in size?

Inside the Jedi Temple was a different story, though still unbelievably grand, there was something beautiful in the symmetry of the halls. And the longer they walked, the sooner she forgot about the outside traffic.

Everyone they passed was a Jedi, some greeting Master Jinn, fewer acknowledging Obi-Wan, but no unfriendly gaze fell upon them. Rey herself only received a few curious glances though no one stopped to question her presence here.

"This is one of the masters' wings," Obi-Wan explained, "Most of the rooms are comfortable but unremarkable."

Master Jinn stopped at one of those doors, opening it, he held it open for them. Rey followed Obi-Wan into a room that was far from unremarkable.

Pieces of driftwood, a bowl of smooth stones, an ornate tea set, and a door that opened to a balcony.

She found herself drawn to a delicate wind charm, reaching her hand up, the blue glass tingled together softly. Gazing around the space, she could feel the pull of a hundred adventures, of stories and moments that found themselves in these beautiful little momentos. She knew this was Master Jinn's room and she felt honoured to be shown this private bit of him.

She looked back at the two Jedi, remarking, "Far from unremarkable."

Again, that sense that Master Jinn was smiling at her with a stoic expression. Obi-Wan was gazing at his Master too, and Rey asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Master Jinn said at once.

"If my being here is going to cause problems then-"

Obi-Wan snorted and she glared at him, "What is it? Just tell me."

"I would like to train you as a Jedi," Master Jinn stated.

She was too astonished to be pleased, "Really? But I thought-"

"The Jedi Council will not approve, but there is a chance I can convince them otherwise."

"And if you don't convince them?" she asked, unable to process her own feelings. This, _this,_ was more surprising to her than time travel. After all, changing decades hadn't altered her life all that much, meeting Jedi? Meeting these two had blown open a world of opportunity she had never imagined.

Once, she had dreamed about being a fighter pilot for the Rebellion, or for the Resistance. A child's fantasies to fight alongside Luke Skywalker.

But never in her wildest dreams had she dreamed of actually being Luke Skywalker.

And she hadn't had enough time with the reviewing her own abilities with telekinesis for it to sink in that she was _capable_ of being a Jedi. But then, this offer had to come with a caveat. The Jedi Council wouldn't approve, and as much as Rey would have liked to join Obi-Wan and Master Jinn she-

"If they say no entirely, then I will train you anyway, outside of the Jedi Temple," Master Jinn said, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" she squeaked, "No, I mean, no, you can't leave your Order because of me, I'm not worth it."

"I believe that you are. But this is your choice. The life of a Jedi is not without sacrifice or hardship. You would not be allowed a family outside of the Order itself. You would not be permitted to marry and if you had any children you would be asked to give them up. There are those at the Temple with relatives, even lovers, but they are distant and always secondary to those in the Order. And though being a Jedi might permit you to travel across the galaxy, you would be sent into situations of disputes. Sometimes, that means violence or tragedy.

"I could teach you much about your abilities, about the Force. But the Force itself is not wholly benevolent, the more you train, the more power you would be exposed to. Power has a way of changing people, for you to remain who you are will require fortitude, a testing not just of your mind but your very soul. And that struggle is one that never ends, never truly becomes easier, either for Padawan or Master.

"Rey, I'm offering you a difficult path, but one I have every faith you would excel at with guidance and your own dedication."

She stared into those wise blue eyes and could not hold his gaze. She looked up at the glass windchimes, the slips of glass swaying slightly in the unseen air currents of the room.

Did she want this? Did she want to be a Jedi?

_Yes._

Even with the warnings, with the promise of hardship, Rey wanted this, she wanted a life with purpose.

Family? Had she really had any hopes of creating a family of her own? Not truly, she had always just been a girl waiting for parents who were never coming back for her, who didn't even exist anymore. If she somehow found who they were decades from now, she would have no real tie to them. So no, giving up family wasn't a sacrifice, and she had never envisioned herself as a wife or mother. In fact, she baulked at the idea of either. She liked children alright, but she had never wanted her own.

_A Jedi._

She could be a Jedi, she had powers didn't she? She looked at the swaying wind charm catching both unseen breeze and the glittering in the afternoon sunlight, then she looked at the two actual Jedi watching her. Master Jinn seemed to have a passive expression of infinite patience whereas Obi-Wan looked at her will ill-concealed trepidation.

Hadn't he said that a Master Jedi had only one Padawan? Would she be replacing him?

No, she thought, she couldn't replace him. She glanced back at Master Jinn who had said that Obi-Wan would be taking the trials to be a Knight soon. But what would it mean if Master Jinn left the Order to train her? What did leaving the Order even entail? Would Master Jinn be unwelcome here? Would he have to move out from this sanctuary he had made for himself? Would Obi-Wan and he become estranged? Would she be able to see Obi-Wan again?

Perhaps she should have asked those questions aloud, but though she hadn't known Master Jinn long, she knew stubborn when she saw it.

It was one of her own defining qualities.

And his stubbornness combined with those wise eyes and steady speech could probably talk just about anyone into just about anything.

"I would like the opportunity to become a Jedi, on the condition that the Jedi Council approves it," she stated finally.

Obi-Wan looked relieved and Master Jinn looked- well she couldn't read his face, but if the subtle stiffening of his shoulders was anything to go off of, she had marked him right.

Stubborn is as stubborn does.

"The Jedi Council can be rather set in their ways, Rey," Master Jinn cautioned her, "If you wish to be a Jedi then-"

She interrupted him, "I'm presuming that the members of the Jedi Council are your top people? People likely wise with a great deal of experience?"

"Yes, but they are not all knowing."

"Are you?" she shot back.

Obi-Wan put a sleeve to his mouth to try and muffle a snicker.

Master Jinn shot a sharp glance at his Padawan. Turning back to her with imploring eyes, he said, "Rey, I believe you can be a great Jedi, if you are willing, then I am willing to train you."

"I am willing to sacrifice all I have to pursue this future you offer me, and I am grateful. However, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain from this, I cannot let you sacrifice your Order for me. Either I can join the Jedi Order, or it wasn't meant to be."

Obi-Wan lowered his arm, looking at her with a strange expression, but he said nothing as they both waited for Master Jinn to respond.

She wondered how far he would push, she wondered if he was more stubborn than she was.

Finally, Master Jinn let out an audible breath, "Very well, I shall endeavour to do my best in convincing the Council then."

He sounded like this was a task that he would have liked to face by smashing heads together instead of diplomacy.

Going on he said, "But for now, you are my guest. We shall eat together when Obi-Wan and I have returned. Until then please feel free to use this suit as you like, use the refresher, and get some more sleep if you can."

She wondered if they had a shower, a place as wealthy as this likely did, and it sounded wonderful. "Do you have anything I might wear so I can wash my clothes?"

Obi-Wan stood, going to a closest she hadn't noticed as if it were his own rooms. He didn't refer back to Master Jinn and she wondered if it was because Padawans were subject to their Masters or if their bond was so familiar to him that what each owned was shared between them.

He gave her a white simple robe, "It will be too large for you, but it should do while your clothes are in the drying unit. It's in the refresher closest to the left of the sink."

"Thank you," she said to both, again blown away by their welcoming of her.

Overwhelmed by these two strangers who had deemed her worth something, trustworthy enough to bring along into danger, and likeable enough to welcome into their homes. No matter what their Council decided, she would never be able to repay them.

Obi-Wan must have seen some of her feelings on her face because he smiled, "Don't be too thankful, I'll help Qui-Gon get through to the Council, but by this time next month you might cursing ever having met us."

She grinned at him, "Oh I'm sure I won't be the only one cursing."

* * *

Obi-Wan could practically see the annoyance coming off his Master as they walked to Jedi Council. Rey's ultimatum hadn't been well received.

_That's what you get for trying to induct someone who isn't a child._

Qui-Gon's gaze snapped to him, "Watch yourself, Padawan."

Obi-Wan felt his cheeks heat, but he held his ground, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to share that, but honestly, Master, how did you think that was going to go? She hardly knows us."

"She didn't say no, she is just putting her hands in the fate of the Council."

"A lot of people put their fate in the hands of the Council."

"But she doesn't even know who the Council are, she didn't even know they existed."

"Nor that the Jedi existed, nor that she was a Force sensitive. Can you blame her for wanting structure? For not wanting to up root you from your home?"

_Our home_, he thought, still grateful that Rey had seen more than herself in this equation.

His Master let out a huff, "Forgive me, Obi-Wan, but since my own Master left, I've come to…" He sighed, "It is more than clashing with the Council, the problems I see with our Order run deeper than them."

Obi-Wan kept his thoughts to himself, now wasn't the time for this confrontation, but he couldn't help but ask, "Regardless of what the Council decides, I would like to meet your Master."

Qui-Gon looked at him, an odd expression on his face, "If you think I clash with the Council, Padawan mine, Master Dooku will not put you at ease."

"Maybe not, but you worry about him. I know you've spoken with him over the years, but-"

"But you've picked up on my concern of what he struggles with as a count. Yes, perhaps I've been putting off that meeting, perhaps I haven't wanted to see how time has changed him." A smile curled his lips, some of the lines around his eyes softening, "Perhaps he'll honour us both with sparring. It would be a gift before your trials."

For a moment, all other worries left Obi-Wan, the idea of learning something from the Order's duelling champion, even if it was just to see Master Dooku spar with Qui-Gon would be something he would love to see.

Noting his expression, Qui-Gon said, "I warn you, however, Master Dooku tends to be harsh in duelling. He uses cruel words to unbalance his opponents, ascertain their weaknesses. It is an excellent training mechanism, but he has a talent for hitting where it hurts."

Obi-Wan wondered what Dooku would taunt him with, how far he would go. Obi-Wan would like to think of himself with enough humility to want to embrace his faults so he might overcome them, but he didn't like the thought of being so transparent before his Master and his Master's Master. "That," he noted, "doesn't seem like a very Jedi thing to do."

They were fast approaching the Jedi Council chambers, "I was nearly as by the book as you were, my dear Padawan, I assure you, no matter how it may seem, I was not born a maverick."

_That_ Obi-Wan could not believe, even if he had heard whispers of the sort before.

They stopped before the doors, and exchanged a look.

Here went everything.

oOo

Obi-Wan felt the tension rise in his Master, in himself as Qui-Gon recounted their short venture from meeting the Gungans to escaping with the Queen, to being stranded on Tatooine.

"Fortunate this girl accepted such poor payment, it is," Master Yoda noted.

Obi-Wan wondered if the little green Master had discerned that there was more to the 'mechanic' Qui-Gon mentioned in passing.

"The droids may become a problem in the future," Master Windu said, "In large numbers, they pose a greater danger than their singularity."

"Agreed," Qui-Gon said, "If there was some way to keep the droids from being manufactured in mass, perhaps through policies? I know that would be difficult in actualizing but it is worth addressing if nothing else to the Senate and larger Republic."

"Do this we will," Master Yoda said.

There was an awkward pause as the Masters waited for Qui-Gon to conclude.

"Was there more, Master Jinn?" Master Adi-Mundi asked.

"I must say, Padawan Kenobi," Master Bilaba interrupted, "the reports of you pulling down a carrier ship are quite impressive. A feat Master Dooku, or even Master Yoda, might be able to accomplish under fire."

_Here we go,_ Obi-Wan thought as he replied, "It was not I, Master Bilaba." He couldn't help but glance at Qui-Gon who stood stiffer than usual, braced for a fight.

Master Windu leaned back in his seat, "Ah, Master Jinn, you've been holding out on us all these years."

"It was not I who pulled that ship from the sky," Qui-Gon stated without elaborating.

The Council waited, and Obi-Wan's Master waited on them to ask.

Master Windu broke first, "Well, who was it then, if not you or your Padawan? As far as I am aware, no other Jedi were on Naboo."

Obi-Wan could see the suspicion rising among the Council, Qui-Gon had trained them well. And their faces grew ever more reserved as Qui-Gon went on, "Our mechanic is not a Jedi, not yet, but the Force is with her."

A cold silence met his words.

Master Yoda jumped to the right conclusion, "A Padawan, Master Jinn, already you have."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi is ready to face his trials."

"How old is this child?" Master Bilaba asked.

"Rey is a nineteen year old human."

The Council was already shaking their heads, all except Master Yoda who was frowning deeply at Qui-Gon as if trying to read some hidden message in the air between them.

"No," Master Windu said, "Absolutely not. An older child might be considered, exceptions have been made in the past. But not for an adult, not for a woman who could hardly be considered a teenager."

"Yet untrained," Qui-Gon insisted, "she pulled a carrier from the sky. She fought with us, putting herself in great danger without any benefit for her person. She is _good_. She deserves the oppurt-"

Master Windu cut him off, "How do you know she is untrained? The Sith have been extinct for a millennium, that does not mean there aren't others trained in the Force."

"She wasn't certain the Jedi were real a week ago," Qui-Gon defended, "But her connection to the Force… I have never seen her like. And-"

"Deceived you, she has," Master Yoda declared. "Control without training, she could not have."

"She almost passed out," Obi-Wan spoke up.

The entirety of the Council swivelled its focus on him and he fought not to gulp, reminding himself that these were not their adversaries, just stubborn leaders he needed to help convince to take a gamble.

Continuing, he said, "We had to carry her back to the ship, and she fell into a deep sleep like one who has over-exerted themselves. If she was acting then she's the first person I've met to be able to fool all senses, including her presence in the Force."

At this Master Koon leaned forward, "Just how powerful are we talking?"

This was exactly where they needed the Council not to go, and Obi-Wan answered, "You just have to meet her. She deserves a chance to come before you. I agree with my Master, she has the makings of a true Jedi."

The Council frowned at them, and Master Windu asked, "And what did she say, Master Jinn, this mechanic when you offered to train her?"

Qui-Gon sighed and answered, "She said she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. But she resolved to only accept becoming my Padawan if the Jedi Council agreed."

"As opposed to what?" Master Windu asked, his gaze narrowing.

"As opposed to me leaving the Order to train her."

Another shocked silence.

Master Yoda made a noise of disapproval, "Follow your Master, you would. And what say Rey, to you, Master Jinn?"

"As I said, she resolved that she would only be willing if the Jedi Council welcomed her."

"A nineteen year old," Master Windu repeated uncharitably, "What do you possibly believe could change our mind?"

"Test her," Qui-Gon urged, "she will surpass your expectations."

"Know little of this girl, do you," Master Yoda remarked, "Known her long, you have not."

"Meet with her," Obi-Wan urged, speaking out against his better judgement, "is not our conviction in such a short time more reason to consider this?"

"Become you like your Master, Padawan Kenobi," Master Yoda returned, "And become like his Master, Master Dooku, does our Master Jinn. Dangerous this is."

To this Qui-Gon asked, "What harm is there in meeting with her? She will respect whatever decision the Council makes."

"But you will not," Master Windu said, voice too dark to be joking.

"I will respect Rey's decision, I will not coerce her down this path."

Master Yoda sighed, "Cause no harm to meet her, it will not. But fail to see what could change our minds, do I."

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon commanded softly.

Not needing a bigger hint, Obi-Wan all but ran to the door. Wondering how much time had passed, as he made his way back to his Master's rooms.

He knocked thrice before entering. Rey was at the balcony in freshly cleaned clothes that were almost shockingly white. She was pulling her hair into its final bun as she turned to greet him.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"The Council wants to see you," he said, wincing at the almost lie. 'Want' was too strong a word.

"Can I take my staff?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, a staff wasn't going to phase the Council. Short of showing up in Mandalorian armour, not much would phase them.

She came to his side smiling.

"Nervous?" he asked.

Her smile grew, "Excited, more like."

Obi-Wan shook his head, he liked Rey, he really did, but he was beginning to believe it would be years before he understood her.

* * *

Qui-Gon regretted telling the Council he had thought to leave the Order like Master Dooku because he thought it did Rey no favours.

He did, however, sort of enjoy the irked expression on Mace Windu's face as they waited for his Padawans to return.

"What convinced you," Mace finally asked, "that this girl was worth training, worth turning your back on the Order for?"

"The Force."

"The Force?" Master Bilaba repeated in confusion, "You mean the girl's powers."

"I mean the Force sings around her."

"Sings?" this time Mace echoed him.

A knock came at the door and Mace called out, "Enter, Padawan Kenobi."

Qui-Gon's Padawan entered, Rey behind him.

She looked around the room with a tangible curiosity and Qui-Gon heard some of the Council catch their breaths.

Because the Force was with Rey, and her presence filled the room like sunlight. In a room full of Grand Masters, Yoda was her only equal pound for pound. But there was no menace to Rey's aura.

Even Mace was left wide eyed.

The Force singing around her wasn't a mere metaphor, it was about the only explanation Qui-Gon had for the feel at which her energy resonated.

Plo Koon asked too softly to be a true question, "How did we miss her?"

That was a question Qui-Gon wondered as well, it wasn't as if the Jedi didn't take initiates from the Outer Rim. But to be fair, Rey's glow had only recently reached so large, expanding since she connected with the Force to pull down a ship.

"Hello," Mace greeted her, "Master Jinn tells us you wish to become a Jedi."

Her gaze fell on him, searching his face as if she would memorize it, "Master Jinn is a generous man."

"I am Master Mace Windu," he said, "Your name is Rey?"

She nodded, "Just Rey, yes."

"You have no family."

"None."

"Are you afraid?" he asked, and even Qui-Gon couldn't decern her emotions, though fear didn't seem to be among them.

"No, a bit awed, to be honest."

"Awed?" Plo Koon asked, "Why?"

"You're the Jedi Council," she replied simply as if that answered everything.

"Most in your position would be cowed," Mace said with a deliberate lack of tack.

She grinned, "I wanted to see the world. Stories of the Jedi were fantastical, and I never knew if I would leave the Outer Rim. Now I'm standing before some of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, on Coruscant of all places."

"You didn't know we were on Coruscant?" Master Adi-Mundi asked in confusion.

"I didn't know you existed actually, and if I had, I wouldn't have guessed Coruscant."

"If you did not believe in the Jedi," Mace asked, "why do you want to be one?"

Rey didn't hesitate, and even Qui-Gon was impressed with her self-assurity. Even Obi-Wan wasn't this confidante in front of the Council now. But perhaps she didn't understand what the Jedi Council was capable of.

Or maybe she believed them more capable than they were.

Qui-Gon wasn't sure which would serve her better.

"I want to be a part of something bigger than myself," she stated.

"Anything?" Mace pressed.

She shook her head, "No, of course not, but I believe in what the Jedi stand for."

"Even though you didn't believe we existed?"

"On Tatooine, the Republic doesn't exist either. But I didn't have to live in the Republic to understand they were better, even if marginally so, to living under the rule of the Hutts."

"So you want to be a Jedi to have employment?" Mace questioned.

She tilted her head, "No. I mean, I assume there is more to being a Jedi than working for the Jedi Order."

"Indeed there is," Plo Koon said, picking up Mace's thread, "and we would like to know what you will do when we deny you entrance to our Order. You must understand that you are too old to be trained among us."

Rey bowed her head, "Then it will have been an honour to meet you all."

Qui-Gon stifled a smile, the Council hadn't expected that answer, none of them had likely expected her in any capacity. She wasn't some power hungry Force user overlooked and resentful for not being accepted on principle.

Rey was a woman who had been given the experience of a lifetime, and that meant more to her than the finer points of bureaucracy.

Master Yoda had remained oddly silent, his gaze sharply focused on the girl before them.

"Master Jinn has asked that you be tested despite the variable of your age. If you agree, I would like to start with a few questions," Master Windu said, the dismissal he had approached this with leaving his tone.

She nodded, shifting from foot to foot, a nervous gesture at last.

"Where do you live?"

"I used to live in a cave on Tatooine."

"A cave?" Mace asked, and Qui-Gon smirked knowing Mace was no stranger to the way some lived in the galaxy but still, the Jedi still sometimes saw themselves above such things.

Rey elaborated, "Big enough to stretch out in and pretty well hidden. I was never robbed at least."

"Your parents?"

"I lost them when I was five."

"Will you go back to Tatooine?"

She made a face, "No, I'd sooner return to Naboo, or find some employment that keeps me travelling."

"As a mechanic?"

"Or a pilot, I haven't travelled far in my life, but I haven't found a ship I couldn't decipher, eventually."

Not humble, Qui-Gon noted, but he wasn't displeased, skills hard earned shouldn't be down played. Especially if she would have to make it on her own from here on.

"Will you not miss your friends?" Mace asked.

Her lips curled, but not in her usual bright smile, "Obi-Wan is the closest person I have to a friend."

Qui-Gon caught his Padawan's startled reaction.

"You've known Padawan Kenobi for less than three days, surely you had peers on Tatooine," Mace remarked, his disbelief clear.

"I'm a scavenger, I didn't really have time to-" she cut herself off, catching her own temper before it rose, "Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi have been kinder to me than anyone I can remember."

Finally, Yoda spoke, "Trust them, you do."

She looked at the little master, and Qui-Gon thought she was deceived by his diminutive form, because her tone was wholly respectful when she replied, "They are trustworthy."

"Prove this to you, have they?"

She frowned, as if not having thought it through completely, "I don- that is… They _feel_ trustworthy and they have done nothing to disprove that. Master Jinn got me off Tatooine, Obi-Wan saved my life."

"When?" Mace asked.

"When I pulled down that carrier ship, he covered me. If he hadn't deflected those blaster shots I would be dead now."

Qui-Gon exchanged a fond look with his Padawan who looked a bit caught off guard by Rey's perspective on the day's events.

Yoda hummed but said nothing more.

"Very well," Mace said, "we will continue with your test."

He pulled out a screen, "I want you to tell me what's on this screen."

She raised her brows, "Without looking at the screen?"

"I will be able to see the images, and I will do nothing to shield my mind from you. You should be able to glean the images from my thoughts."

Her eyes widened, "Jedi can read minds?"

Mace didn't answer that, just asked, "Ready?"

"Yes," she said, shifting again from foot to foot like some racing animal before the bell.

"A boat!"

"Correct."

"A tree, a racer, the Nubian ship, a-" with each answer her voice grew more excited as if amazed this was possible, seeming to completely forget the seriousness of how these tests might dictate her future.

On the last one, she faltered, "A thing with horns?"

Mace raised one brow in masked amusement.

"Sorry, I- it's hairy, too hairy for the desert, hmm…"

Qui-Gon was about to call foul when Rey pulled the name from Mace's or someone else's mind.

"Tauntaun! That's a fun name."

Mace lowered the screen, exchanging a look with Yoda. Rey wasn't just a power, she was gifted power.

Mace stood, leaving the screen on his seat.

"Mace," Qui-Gon warned, unsure of what the Master had planned.

Mace ignored him, "How do you feel, Rey?"

She shook her head, "Does the Force even have limits? Is anything impossible?"

"Everything has limits, scavenger."

Something in the Master's tone had Rey tensing, but not in fear or anger, just the instinctual motion of reaching for her staff when someone offered her ill-will.

Mace took a step forward, and she a step back.

Obi-Wan caught Qui-Gon's wrist as his own fingers flexed.

_It's a test, Master. She isn't a child, did you expect them to test her like one?_

His Padawan's question centred Qui-Gon. Of course the Council would treat her differently. She _was_ different.

"The Force is strong with you," Mace told her.

She didn't respond to him, watching not his face but the centre of his body.

When he drew his lightsaber, Rey's speed in pulling her staff was nearly as fluid. Mace held his amethyst saber at the ready and Rey held her staff before her. Her legs were bent lowering her centre of gravity.

Her smile was gone now.

"I won't hurt you," Mace remarked lightly.

"I didn't think you would," she said, her voice trying to be as light.

"You're afraid."

"Not really. I don't believe you're going to slice me up in front of all these people."

Qui-Gon saw Mace fighting back a smile as he asked, "Then why draw your weapon?"

"Because," she answered, "I could be wrong."

Mace lunged at her, and Rey lept back as capable now as she had been on Naboo.

She didn't bother to parry with the Jedi Master, though she kept the tip of her staff always between them as she dodged every exaggerated swipe of Mace's purple lightsaber. She didn't fight, staying on the defensive as she backed up. Aware both of her opponent and the others in the room, Qui-Gon noted she didn't let herself be forced into a corner. In a minute she had positioned herself so that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were at her back, Mace and where Yoda sat in her line of vision.

Qui-Gon was pleased and Mace intrigued.

Changing tack, Master Windu leapt into the air, twirling his saber before him with what was more flashy movement than a real attack. The effect still must have been intimidating for someone who was unfamiliar with lightsabers and having no defence against them.

Rey dropped to the floor, her connection to Force blowing open like the floodgates on a dam. She stood tense and wide eyed near the exit of the room where none of them stood or sat, the Force having leant her speed.

Mace pulled back then, standing tall and deactivating his saber. He bowed to her, "Well done, Rey. I concur with Master Jinn, you should be given the opportunity to be trained as his Padawan. You acted defensively, never losing your focus to fear or anger. And when you were afraid, you turned to the Force, that is to be commended."

All the Council members save for Yoda stirred at this, voicing their protests in exclamations of 'You can't be serious, Master Windu,' 'She is still too old,' and 'She's too dangerous.'

But all Qui-Gon's attention was focused on Rey who hadn't moved from her stance, her eyes seemed to be unseeing.

He approached her cautiously, "Rey? Rey, can you hear me?"

She didn't move, though he felt her sense him. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin. He had a flash of what she was feeling, sensing. In a room full of Council members, she was feeling their powers press at her like standing on a plain of white under the desert suns.

He squeezed her shoulder, "Rey, breathe."

She took in a gasping breath, as if breaching the surface after swimming too deep. She staggered, and Qui-Gon caught her at the wrist and elbow.

Obi-Wan was before her, "Rey, are you alright?"

She looked up at him blinking fast, and then she shook her head. She looked passed him to Yoda and the rest.

Again, Qui-Gon felt that wash of sorrow that she had experienced when he told her there were thousands of Jedi.

Fear, anger, frustration, confusion, almost anything Qui-Gon expected, but not sorrow. What hurt did she carry to feel this way?

The Jedi Council observed her as she observed them. The could all feel her emotions, but she shook her head once more and the emotion left her as a wave of the Force brushed them all.

It hadn't come from Rey but it seemed to be meant for her, consoling her.

Strange.

Ki Adi-Mundi spoke, "I see what you mean, Padawan Kenobi. I agree with Master Windu, she should be trained."

Depa Bilaba bowed her head to Qui-Gon, "The Force is strong with her, and already it seems, a bond has formed between you. I also agree that Master Jinn should take the girl has his next Padawan."

The rest of the council said versions of the same, until it came Plo Koon shook his head, "This is most odd. But there is no fear in her, and there is no warning in the Force. In fact, if I didn't know better, I would say the Force is at work around her."

With only Yoda left to speak, Qui-Gon felt his pulse rise, he released that bit of anxiety to the Force. Just because the others had said, yes, didn't mean Yoda couldn't sway them to reconsider.

But Yoda's attention was not on Rey who had straightened, waiting patiently for the Council's decision. Her over exposure to Force contained in each of the Masters seemed to have taken a toll on her energy and mood.

No, Yoda's attention was on Obi-Wan who hovered at Rey's side.

"Padawan Kenobi," Yoda called.

Obi-Wan startled, looking up to meet the little master's green gaze, "Yes, Master Yoda?"

"Taken the trials you have not."

Qui-Gon stiffened, if Yoda was about to undermine his Padawan's confidence he was going to raise Hell.

"No, Master Yoda, I have not."

"Ready you are."

Qui-Gon let out a breath, but tensed again as Yoda continued.

"But, more ready might you be in a year or two. No shame, but benefit could you still from Master Jinn's guidance."

Obi-Wan didn't respond, clearly not disagreeing with Yoda and Qui-Gon mentally cursed.

"And Master Jinn," Yoda said, "ready you shall never be to teach a Padawan who was never an initiate, though able to learn, she is."

Mace asked, "You want to train her yourself?"

Yoda laughed, the sound grated on Qui-Gon. What did he mean 'ready you shall never be'? What flaw was there in him that Yoda perceived to be unsuitable to this match?

"No, but perceive more than a bond between Master and Padawan here, I do. Padawan Kenobi, free you are to take the trials when you feel best, but a favour ask would I?"

Curiosity peeked, Obi-Wan asked, "What favour, Master Yoda?"

"Stay on with Master Jinn, you should. Need your help, will he. Unusual predicament to take in an apprentice at nineteen. No more unusual to have two Padawans to one Master, nor two Masters to one Padawan."

Qui-Gon blinked, hope filling him. Yes. _Yes_, if Obi-Wan stayed than training Rey would be a thousand times easier. His Padawan's help he would indeed need, the generations between Rey and himself would likely prove as difficult as finding a balance between their responsibilities. But if Obi-Wan could teach her how to be a Padawan than Qui-Gon could teach her how to become a Jedi.

And besides all that, it meant he would not have to say goodbye so soon to Obi-Wan. It was not a sorrow because he deserved to be Knighted, but what Master would wish away such a Padawan as Obi-Wan?

Obi-Wan looked back at him, then at Rey, then back to Yoda, "Yes. I'll stay on with Master Jinn."

Yoda laughed, "Good, good. Welcome Padawan Rey, a Jedi will you be."

Rey seemed at a loss for words but her smile was answer enough.

"Clouded has the future been," Yoda went on, "but clear around you three, the Force is. See much -_peace-_ forming between you, do I."

"Why do I perceive that peace isn't the word you meant to use?" Qui-Gon asked.

Yoda chortled, tapping his cane before him as if Qui-Gon had just said something outrageously funny.

Why was it even when Qui-Gon got the Council to agree with him on an issue, he still felt infuriated?

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AN: Thank you again to the reviewers, I'm truly trying to develop this story and your feedback means the world to me. May the Force be with you.


	3. He Lives

KEYnote: Remember Rey's introduction to the timeline was months before the Phantom Menace, and her appearance did create ripple effects in some characters that may have, I don't know, say lost his council seat because of visions that led him to be obsessed with creating a clone army, cough, cough.

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AN: Thank you to the reviewers letting me know I'm on a good path. Your feedback keeps me going :D Shorter chapter this time because well, Rey isn't always going to be my most pertinent MC ;)

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Chapter 3 - He Lives

Sifo-Dyas had his head pressed to a pillar as the sun rose.

For once in his life, it wasn't the visions plaguing him.

No, it was his own thoughts _about_ those visions that were driving him crazy. A year ago, even a few months ago, if anyone had bothered to ask him the fate of the galaxy, his answer would be clear.

War.

War is what he saw, what he knew was coming. An all encompassing, doom of the galaxy, doom of the _Jedi_, world ending war.

He had been convinced that they needed an army, had been building himself up to go to his fellow Council members and impress upon them the _need_ for a clone army. And planning for their inevitable no. Planning to go behind their backs if he had to, anything to ensure the slaughter in his visions didn't become the reality.

But a few months ago _everything_ seemed to change. The Force that had been screaming at him to act, to _do something!- _that had been crying out into the darkness in mournful despair, had calmed. Like cold water poured into a scalding hot bath, something had changed.

Drastically.

Master Yoda had been insisting to Sifo-Dyas that his visions couldn't be changed, that Force visions would cause more damage to fix than to let the future run its course.

The problem with that was twofold; one, why would the Force give him visions if not to act on them? And two, his visions were never wrong. _Never._

In response to this, Master Yoda had simply said that _that_ was the exact reason acting on visions was pointless. If Sifo-Dyas's visions were never wrong then action or non-action would not result in any benefit.

A point that Sifo-Dyas could not accept, fundamentally he had to believe there was a purpose to the Force showing him horror after horror.

So a few months ago when his visions had begun to change, from total warfare to the scrambling of politicians and small scale skirmishes. To the Jedi conjugating instead of dying off, Sifo-Dyas had been left at a loss.

His visions had never before negated themselves. He couldn't understand what was happening.

And then there had been Master Qui-Gon Jinn, his best friend's Padawan.

_A pyre._

Too late to change, too late to warn, Sifo-Dyas thought he would never be able to face Dooku again.

But Qui-Gon Jinn had returned from Naboo, returned with a girl that Sifo-Dyas could not wrap his head around. Looking at Padawan Rey made his head hurt.

"Master Sifo-Dyas," Master Yoda's voice interrupted his thoughts.

He spun on the little Master, his breathing heavy and he fought himself for control. He dipped his head in a short bow of acknowledgement, "Master Yoda."

"Troubled, you are."

Sifo-Dyas gritted his teeth, "The future is unclear to me."

Yoda, the insufferable little goblin, laughed, "Clear, for once, the future is to me."

Sifo-Dyas fought the urge to clap, his voice came out cold, "Care to enlighten me?"

"Go to Dooku, you should. Helped you once your friend did, help again he can."

Sifo-Dyas knew his face exposed his astonishment, "Count Dooku is no longer a part of the Order."

"Friend he still is."

He narrowed his eyes on his fellow Council member, "You still think he will come back to the Order one day, don't you? Even after Qui-Gon threatened just this week to abandon us also? Master Yoda, Dooku will never return."

"Fail him, I did. But gone Qui-Gon is not, gone you are not. Help you need, help Qui-Gon need. Be there, will Master Dooku."

"I wouldn't hold your breath," he remarked, looking out into the traffic of Coruscant. Despite his disagreements with Master Yoda, the peaceful mountains of Serenno, the elegance of the city Dooku called home seemed a better place to be for his currently turbulent mind.

"Go," Yoda told him, "Wait not here. See the future, I do. Right, this is."

Sifo-Dyas glared at him, "And since when do you act on visions?"

"Not visions, no, see I the Force. Your path clear, not clouded as we feared."

Sifo-Dyas sighed, he had survived countless visions in his life, but none had ever been so cryptic as the little goblin ordering him about.

* * *

Count Dooku had been surprised, to say the least, when his old friend had requested permission to visit.

Dooku had of course given his consent, it had been a while since any of the Jedi Council had contacted him, friend or no.

Now, days later, they sat together, enjoying tea.

"You seem more disturbed than normal, my old friend," Dooku remarked.

"You look overdressed, though I suppose it suits you, there was only so much even you can do with Jedi fashion."

"Fashion? Is that what you call it?" Dooku asked, amused.

Sifo-Dyas put down his cup to rub his temples. With his eyes closed, he said, "It has been too long, my friend."

"What ails you, Council Member Sifo-Dyas?"

Not opening his eyes, nor rising to the well meant taunting, his friend said, "A green goblin and good news."

The first was to be expected, but the latter… "Good news? There is a first."

Finally opening his eyes, Sifo-Dyas looked across the space between them, looking terribly haunted.

Dooku let the silence build, sipping his tea, until he feared Sifo-Dyas had fallen prey to another one of his visions, "Sifo-Dyas."

What he said next froze Dooku's heart.

"I saw Master Qui-Gon Jinn die."

Dooku's teacup slipped from his numb hands, shattering on the floor.

Qui-Gon was dead.

_No._

He felt the darkness he had been slowly cultivating over the years open its maw to swallow what was left of the light in him.

He hadn't known his heart could break like this. _Why didn't the Force tell me, alert me to his passing?_

Sifo-Dyas went on, "And that vision was wrong, Qui-Gon did not die, and everything I know or believed is now completely and utterly unreliable."

Dooku's gut wrenched, and he swung to his feet, his cape swirling behind him, his chair falling to the ground with his abrupt movement.

Long, long it had it been indeed since he reached out to that bond that tied Master to Padawan. But Dooku stretched his will out through the ages, through the Force and across the galaxy.

_There_. He found that neglected tether and at its frayed end, the warm light of Qui-Gon.

He felt his apprentice stagger as Dooku grabbed hold of that bond and yanked, testing its strength, his apprentice's very life force.

_Master?_ the gasping thought came to him.

_Do not die, Padawan mine,_ Dooku commanded him, before slamming the link shut again, pulling back before Qui-Gon could decern more into his mind than Dooku would wish.

"Dooku-"

"How dare you?" he cut him off with voice harsher than ever he had used before. "How dare you bring that message to my home?" He turned back to Sifo-Dyas, "Always did you bemoan the accuracy of your visions, your inability to stop them, and you would lead with my apprentice's death?"

Sifo-Dyas frowned at him, "What is wrong with you? I told you I had _good news_. I would not have said that if I had truly meant to tell you of Qui-Gon's parting."

Seething, Dooku was holding on to his rage with a lace of frost, so close, so close to the edge he was. He could feel it now, the abyss he teetered on. A precipice he could not return from if he slipped just a bit-

"Dooku!" Sifo-Dyas was at his side now, "Are you- _Dooku_ have you fallen?"

His friend's shock made him laugh, though without humour, "You knew I left the Order."

"My Master taught you about the Dark Side, the Sith, to keep you from this path, not so you would fall prey to it."

"Much has changed."

Sifo-Dyas shook his head and went to lean on the rail. Taking in a deep breath of mountain air, he let out a long sigh, "Yes, change. I don't know anymore. I thought I knew what was right, I thought- I saw the galaxy falling into death and destruction. The Jedi disappearing and tyranny reigning in its place."

"And now?" Dooku asked, calming some, taken aback at the idea of not just Qui-Gon dying, but the entire Order.

"Chaos. I see chaos, and I can't tell what side is right or wrong anymore. I don't know what the future means. I don't know what the Force is trying to tell me, it grieves but now… it- it-" he struggled for a word.

"What?" Dooku pressed.

"It's laughing. Not madly, not- I don't know but it seems to follow Qui-Gon's new apprentice around like a tide around a nexus."

"Qui-Gon has taken a new Padawan?" Dooku asked, realizing suddenly that he had yet to met the first one. Surely, he was failing as Qui-Gon's Master if he hadn't bothered to reconnect even to meet his Padawan's Padawan. Whether he was part of the Order or not, Qui-Gon still mattered to him. That much had just been eloquently proven to him. "Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi has been Knighted then?"

Yet another thing he missed.

"No, he hasn't."

Dooku frowned. "Padawan Kenobi has a new Master then? But he and Qui-Gon have been together for years."

"No, Qui-Gon remains Kenobi's Master."

"But you just said-"

"You know," Sifo-Dyas interrupted with a too causal tone, "Qui-Gon threatened to join you in exile."

"Excuse me?" This sent Dooku reeling, and again he reached out to his old Padawan. Searching that light for any hint of darkness.

He felt Qui-Gon freeze in place, saw a flash image of him standing in the Jedi temple. Again, he sent back a thought, _What is wrong, Master Dooku?_

And again, Dooku pulled back without answering, determined to not reach for him anymore. Qui-Gon was as he ever had been, and Dooku realized that as much power as he had found in the darkness, he would never wish it on his own Padawan.

Why was that?

He felt himself take a step back from the abyss. If this was the right path, why wouldn't he want Qui-Gon with him?

"Qui-Gon threatened to leave the Order," Sifo-Dyas repeated with a rye smile at the obvious surprise on his friend's face.

Rarely had Dooku ever been disturbed so.

"Why?"

"Because he wanted to take on another Padawan."

Dooku shook his head, never having known his apprentice to be hasty in that way. What could prompt Qui-Gon to rush his current apprentice? Such a thing would undercut nearly any Padawan's confidence.

Sifo-Dyas went on, "Originally, Qui-Gon had been pushing for Padawan Kenobi to take his trials sooner rather than later. But Master Yoda asked Kenobi to stay on with Master Jinn to help him with his new apprentice."

"Master Yoda suggested Qui-Gon take on _two_ Padawans?" Dooku asked, too shocked to be annoyed with Sifo-Dyas's obvious enjoyment in drawing out this story.

"It gets better."

"Enlighten me," he drawled.

"Qui-Gon found this girl on Tatooine. She's the most powerful Force user to walk into that temple since Yoda himself. Her connection with the Force would appear unparalleled, and as frustrating as it is for my own powers, the Force feels joyous around her."

Dooku narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "The Chosen One?" He knew Qui-Gon's penchant for the old prophecies, and not liking the emotion his friend attributed to the Force. The Force was many things, but described with overt emotions did not seem plausible.

Sifo-Dyas shrugged, "I don't know, though I would not be surprised if that were so, but no, Qui-Gon brought her before the Council hell-bent on training her to be a Jedi. He and Kenobi claiming that if we just tested her, just _met_ her, the Council would agree. And they were right, we did agree."

Dooku was starting to get an inkling, "How old is she?"

Sifo-Dyas smiled, "Nineteen."

Dooku's brows shot up, "What in the galaxy did you say to the Council to get them to agree to that? A nineteen year old Padawan? That is unimaginable."

"I didn't say much. We agreed to meet her, and we _met_ her."

He glared at his friend, "It could not have been that simple, you could not have said _nothing_. You are their voice of reason, the Council does not change."

"Mace Windu and Yoda were her largest supporters."

"Impossible."

"She passed our tests. Mace drew on her, she didn't lose control of emotions, and she proved to have a connection between herself and _both_ Qui-Gon and Kenobi. She's something else, Dooku. Yoda seems delighted by her. I haven't seen that old troll this happy since we were younglings."

Dooku stared at him for a long time, "You are telling me that the Council, that Master Windu and Yoda in particular, approved my Qui-Gon to take on a second apprentice, who is uninitiated and _nineteen_ years old?"

"Yes."

Dooku sucked in a breath.

The Council was capable of change?

What did that mean? If they could change on this then…

"You said she was a strong as Yoda?"

"Potentially, yes. She has zero shielding and walked in the Council chamber like a blazing star. Honestly, I said yes to her becoming a Jedi because a power like that doesn't stop being powerful just because we refuse to train her."

Dooku sneered, "You mean to protect her."

Sifo-Dyas gave him an odd look, "Yes, I do. You may still be my friend, but do remember I am still a member of the Order."

"I have not forgotten." Then another thought occurred to him, "How strong a bond do you mean?"

"Hard to tell, but it was sensible, strong enough you could almost see it. As I said, she has no shielding to speak of."

Curiosity now getting the best of him, he took a deep centring breath. Shoving the darkness inside of him so far down as to appear untraceable. He called on the Force, the Light played along his senses like leaves dancing in a gust of air. So at odds were the two sides of the Force, this was weaker than what he had been using of late, but as he inhaled, the tightness in his chest eased. The fury and sorrow at the thought of Qui-Gon in danger washed away like dirt loosened from his hands when lowered into a cool river.

For a final time, he opened his link between himself and Qui-Gon, this time the link was neither worn nor neglected, but a steel woven rope. He followed that connection, exploring its length and finding two more tethers, one as solid and reliable as his own, the other was more elastic.

And suddenly, he was no longer standing in his palace, but standing in the halls of the Jedi Temple. A young man with a Padawan's braid had a hand on Qui-Gon's shoulder. Beside them was a girl with her hair pulled back in three buns and wearing something both more tight fitting than Jedi robes but also more practical for physical labour. This girl, who had been frowning at Qui-Gon with concern, turned to look at Dooku. Her hazel eyes looked up at him with wonder.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice unremarkable but for the fact that it translated to him as sound rather than thought, as if Dooku were actually standing at Qui-Gon's side. He reached a hand out to her, exploring her aura before his hand could even touch her arm.

Sifo-Dyas had been right, she was powerful.

Qui-Gon turned to look at him too, and Dooku took a step back as Qui-Gon mentally shoved him back, shielding his Padawans from further exploration.

Dooku came back to himself, stumbling back at the force Qui-Gon had used.

Sifo-Dyas frowned at him, "Dooku? What are you doing?"

Dooku shook his head and minute later his comm lit up. Breathing evenly, he picked up to Qui-Gon's irritated voice, "Dooku, what do you think you are doing?"

He smiled, glad to hear his Padawan's voice, "It's been a long time, my old apprentice."

"Yes," came Qui-Gon's diplomatic tones, "it has been. Is there a particular reason you've picked now to reaffirm our Force connection?"

"Come visit me on Serenno, Qui-Gon, I believe we have much to discuss."

"This is because you heard about Rey, isn't it?"

_Rey_, Dooku would remember her name, from now on, he would aspire to be a better Master than he had been over the years. Though Qui-Gon needed him no longer, that was no excuse for his complete absence. "I heard you threatened to leave the Order."

Dooku could almost feel his old apprentice wince, and he stifled a smile that the bond was this active once more. It would seem time nor distance mattered to the Force.

"I will remain on Coruscant for the next few months, unless something pressing presents itself."

Qui-Gon wasn't happy with him, that was fair, more than fair. "Then I will look forward to seeing you in a few months."

"Maste-"

This time Dooku did smile at the old habit even as Qui-Gon caught himself, "_Count_ Dooku, it would be an honour to see you bu-"

"Very good, and congratulations. Your Padawans are lucky to have you." And with that Dooku switched off the commlink.

When he looked up, Sifo-Dyas was leaning back against the railing smiling softly at him.

Dooku scowled, "What are you smiling about?"

"The little green goblin was right."

"Oh? And what wisdom has our esteemed Master Yoda imparted to you this time?" he asked in a well cultivated haughty tone.

"The Force is strong with you my old friend, and the Light rejoices."

Dooku stared at him, reexploring his own connection to the Force. He had almost slipped completely today, into that sweet Dark where pain was rewarded and rage spared one from all the rest, but now… now that lifeline that tied him to all living things warmed him, not as violent or altogether useful, but larger, widening his awareness to the world around him.

The Force was singing in him, and for the first time in years, he breathed easy.

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AN: Reactions, thoughts, ideas, or excited tauntauns?


	4. Home

Warning: Slow chapter, I keep outlining these chapters and they end up being thrice as long as I intended. Let me know if the pacing needs to change, this one ends where it does because I've now posted over 25K in less than one week.

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Religious Studies: I reference Zazen, a type of meditation cultivated by Zen Buddhists, if anyone is interested :D

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Chapter 4 - Home

Years. It had been years, and nothing, not a word and now his old Master had decided to reclaim their broken bond.

Not just reclaimed it, but Dooku had presumed to analyze not just Qui-Gon's aura but his Padawans' as well.

He stared down at the comm in his hand. Something had been off the first time he had pulled on the bound, almost desperate as if calling out for help.

And the last... how had Dooku been able to manifest? Rey had seen him.

"Master?" Obi-Wan questioned.

They had spent the last two days showing Rey the Jedi Temple to both give her time to adjust to a new planet as well as the presence of the other Jedi.

Thus far Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had succeeded in neither. Rey seemed as interested in exploring the temple as Qui-Gon himself had been once. In fact, Dooku had taken him through the Temple to places initiates either were not advised to go or not permitted, when first he became a Padawan. But though Rey asked question after welcomed question, she never relaxed.

He couldn't tell what was disturbing her, whether the opulence of the Temple, the different climate, or something he had not thought of yet. He had only determined that she seemed to prefer the newer wings, despite them having significantly less to share with her about the history of those places. A history that she seemed otherwise invested in.

And then she was still jumpy around the other Jedi, all of whom she seemed to view with some level of awe and great respect.

"Obi-Wan, I need to meditate on this."

"Come on," Obi-Wan said to Rey, putting a light hand on her shoulder, "they'll be serving dinner in the Padawan Hall by now."

Rey remained the only Padawan in the temple who regarded the food highly. Not that Qui-Gon would consider it bad food, far from it, but he travelled enough to discover his own tastes and the Temple served food somewhere in the realm of decent.

"Rey?" he asked before they left, "Were you afraid of him?"

"Master Dooku?" she asked.

Qui-Gon nodded, not correcting her use of the title, he would have felt more obliged to do so if she had used the title of Count in truth.

"No, should I have been?"

He shook his head.

It had taken him a long time to come to understand Obi-Wan, he had a feeling that as earnest a person as Rey was, she would be a far harder riddle to solve.

She was enamoured by every Jedi she met, including, apparently, the ones who materialized out of thin air, yet she seemed unnerved by the Jedi Temple itself. A riddle indeed.

"Dooku was my Master, and we have been estranged for some time now."

She gave him a soft smile, "I hope you are able to make up."

Qui-Gon's smile was soft as well, "Good night to you both if I don't see you till tomorrow."

He turned from them, sending a mental thought to Obi-Wan, _Try to get her to breathe._

Obi-Wan shot back, _Maybe we should train her on Serenno._

_Not humorous, Padawan._

Obi-Wan didn't respond but Qui-Gon could feel his smirk.

Well, it was laughable, Qui-Gon supposed. His Master contacting him after all these years, all but demanding his presence on

If Dooku wanted to see him, why not come to Coruscant?

Qui-Gon went to the gardens. Rey had liked this place best of all the places he brought her to in the Temple. It was something they shared and something Obi-Wan seemed amused by.

His opinion that Rey was a much better match for Qui-Gon than Obi-Wan had been, at least in Obi-Wan's eyes, holding true. But Qui-Gon saw how deeply Obi-Wan was coming to care about Rey already.

He sensed that there was a friendship that would make the history books.

Qui-Gon went to his knees in the grass, the shrubs at this position stretching above his head. He closed his eyes and tried to think over what had just occurred.

He had sometimes feared that his own interest in the prophecies had led his old Master down a darker path.

_But why contact me now?_

Without pulling on the bond between them, he explored it. He could feel the warm surity of his Master at the end like a sun finally exposed after a long winter on a plant's cap. The bond was steel between them, when last Qui-Gon had explored it, it had been a thread well worn and forgotten.

They had spoken some since Obi-Wan had become his apprentice, but their talks had been listless, bland, and initiated by the Council.

_Do not die, Padawan mine._

Such a strange thing to ask, _no_, to demand.

Though to be fair, Qui-Gon would have likely demanded the same from his own Padawans if they were in mortal danger.

Was that it? Did something happen to make Dooku believe his old forgotten Padawan was in peril?

It was certainly the simplest answer, and one that would explain the strength of which Dooku's energy had grabbed hold of him.

In that first touch, there had been a mind numbing fear and a rage so cold that Qui-Gon thought he had been imagining it. The second touch had been exploring, but the third? The fear and rage had been gone from his Master's presence, curiosity and a light as bright as Rey's.

What did that mean?

And was it wise to go to Serenno? To bring Obi-Wan and Rey to meet his old Master?

Rael, Dooku's Padawan before Qui-Gon, had told him once that the Jedi's pledge to avoid attachments was futile. The very nature of Master and Padawan almost ensured that love and attachment would follow. Their history and leaders even encouraged it, tying them more closely to the Order than any doctrine could have.

Compassion was one of the founding pillars of being a Jedi, despite not being in the Jedi code.

And wasn't that an emotion, wasn't the desire for peace an emotion?

Sometimes Qui-Gon thought the Jedi were too immersed in politics, in the power struggles of the world. That the Jedi enforced law where matters of state should have been left to their individual governments and at other times Qui-Gon thought they aspired to be too disconnected from the galaxy.

The Living Force was to be obeyed, not the machinations of the Republic and Senate.

Qui-Gon believed in the Force, believed that ultimately what the Force wanted was harmony within the chaos. _Balance_.

Emotions were not bad in and of themselves. Acting on emotions without a clear head was certainly dangerous for people with their type of abilities.

But having the love and understanding to care for someone else, to value all life no matter how great or how small, was the essence of being a Jedi.

So he had let the Force guide him, let _compassion_ move him, because if he could not love living things, if he couldn't help try to make the world a better place than there was no point.

Even if some deemed it an impossible pursuit.

His thoughts went back to his Master, who Qui-Gon had surely failed.

When he was younger, he had believed the tenant that the Master's actions dictated the path the Padawan's life would take.

But after taking on Obi-Wan, he had learned quite differently.

Rael had been right, for all the Jedi preached of not falling in love, in not having families or partners or overly close friendships, the most fundamental bond of Master and Padawan was the largest attachment Qui-Gon had in this life.

To protect Obi-Wan, and now Rey, Qui-Gon would sacrifice all that he was, every ideal and doctrine to save them.

But Qui-Gon had almost been lost to the Dark once, and he would never again go down that path if either of Padawans died before him. Not because of doctrine, but because he would not dishonour them so.

Yet there was more than the fear of loss and the despair of death that could push one to the Dark Side, and Qui-Gon feared his teenage obsession with prophecies had pushed Dooku once too often.

Granted, Qui-Gon was still a bit obsessed with the prophecies, not less so after having received his own Force visions that proved true. But it was for want to obey the Force, to take warning where it was given, not a desire to control the future that motivated Qui-Gon.

Dooku had been much more interested in controlling the direction of the galaxy.

Qui-Gon shook his head, sighing deeply. He tried to focus on the smells around him, the soft sounds of the breeze playing through leaves, the Force itself flowing between him and everything around him.

Sooner or later, he was going to Serenno, and he tried to release the fear of what- of _who_ his Master had become.

Qui-Gon battled with himself, trying to let go of the regret of having been a part of Dooku's transformation.

* * *

Rey had never been able to eat until fullness. Even after earning her freedom, the monopoly on food resources on Jakku had kept her working for less than what wage earners or foreign traders would have been given. But then moving to another settlement meant surrendering familiar and established ground that had helped keep her safe at night.

She had actually had a better income on Tatooine, in no small part because the planet was larger and the art of scavenging required a lot more self-awareness and brutal self-defence than she had to exert on Jakku, where the rewards of such things were for the most part negligible.

So to be freely given access to almost unlimited meals was something she was so grateful for that she doubted Obi-Wan would ever understand.

She wasn't blind to his bemused expression as she steadily worked through her plate as she had with every meal since arriving. She forced herself not to rush, to enjoy the actual flavours in the dishes that were made and not rehydrated through powders. But she couldn't manage a conversation while eating. Even if Obi-Wan, who had scarfed down his own plate, had to wait for her.

This evening, they sat at the edge of the hall, by a window, Obi-Wan watching the traffic outside as the happy babble of other Padawans filled the hall. None of whom approached them as it seemed Obi-Wan had seated them in an area of the hall that was designated for those who didn't want to socialize.

For this Rey was glad, she didn't dislike the people here, quite the opposite, Knight or Padawan, they were all the stuff of legends to her, but they were all so at ease.

Rey had always strived to be a good person, to keep her hopes high, and have faith that _someday_ life would get better. But she found that being thrown into a large population of friendly, yet incredibly powerful, people was better in theory than what she had any scope to understand how to deal with in reality.

She had actually laughed at one extremely large Padawan who she had accidentally bumped into while she gazing at the ceiling. That Padawan had growled at her in ill concealed threat. At her laugh, he had left her untroubled at Obi-Wan's side. Hostility didn't faze her, the polite bows and easy smiles, however, were completely foreign.

_That_ incident was the most normal thing to happen to her on Coruscant so far and she was pretty sure she was earning herself a reputation for being touched in the head.

But she couldn't help it. If they had brought her to train on a jungle planet, or brought her to a small village on some remote moon, or even another desert planet, hell, an ice world, where solitude and survival were a larger concern than the endlessness of a palace, excuse her, _Temple_, then she would have been fine.

But no, Master Jinn had brought her to a world of excess in a city so incomprehensibly large it spanned the planet, making of ships and people insects, buzzing ceaselessly around them.

She made it a point not to look out the windows too long. Coruscant made the whole of Tatooine seem like a ditch on the side of the road.

To these people, Jakku would probably seem uninhabited.

She crushed the thought, she had to believe the Jedi were more than their surroundings.

She couldn't judge them for their wealth; wealth was not synonymous for bad. Her experiences notwithstanding, after all, in her eyes, the moisture farmers on Tatooine seemed -in comparison to her lifestyle- as well off as the Hutts. Maybe better off, seeing as far as she could gauge, the Hutts didn't value family or happy communities.

Putting down her fork she looked up at Obi-Wan who had a hand on his chin, almost like Master Jinn had a tendency to do and was still gazing out the window toward the sunset. Though it looked as if he wasn't seeing it.

Obi-Wan was still the kindest person she had ever met, and her reservations for Coruscant aside, she wanted this life. A life of pursuing peace in the galaxy.

Maybe she could have enjoyed it more, trusted it more, if she didn't know the fate of the galaxy was that the Republic would fall and the Jedi would disappear into myth, maybe then this path would have been less troubled by doubts.

She wasn't arrogant enough to believe she alone could change that fate. Perhaps if she earned Obi-Wan and Master Jinn's trust they might believe her and know what to do, or perhaps they would throw her out, or maybe, just maybe, if she was really lucky they could convince her that her past/their future was a trick of the Force.

Besides it was not like she had much to tell, she had a loose understanding of history at best. A handful of major events with no sure timeline. She didn't know what had destroyed the Jedi. Perhaps if she hadn't gone so far back in the past, perhaps if she could have started this insane journey with Luke Skywalker and General Leia, the heroes of the Rebellion, Rey could have been useful.

As it was, Rey might as well have been a child for all she knew of the galaxy. And selfishly, she wouldn't have liked to live in a world without Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

As if he sensed her attention, or just noticed she had finished, Obi-Wan gave her his typical smile, kind eyes with a sardonic twist to the corner of his lips.

"You alright?"

She nodded.

"You know there is nothing to be afraid of in the Temple."

She huffed a laugh. The girl from Jakku and the Jedi Knight, but more often than not she thought Obi-Wan was the naive one.

He frowned at her, looking concerned now, "Rey, are you afraid someone here will hurt you?"

"Of course not," she said, wariness aside, she had the possibility of a lifetime in meeting an entire sect of people who she honestly liked without having to know them each personally.

"But you are afraid."

It was her turn to frown at him, "I'm uncomfortable, Obi-Wan, that's not the same thing as being afraid."

"Why are you uncomfortable?"

She just gave him a look, not knowing how to put it into words so he might understand. There was no one thing at the Temple that she could point to and wish away to make her feel better about this new life. It was just so different and she hadn't found her place in the mayhem yet.

He went on, "You're safe here, nothing is going to hurt you."

She snorted, trying to suppress the burst of laughter.

He frowned harder at her, "You don't believe me. You doubt the Jedi."

_The Jedi die, _she wanted to tell him, but settled on, "You can't be this close to the heart of a galaxy spanning government and believe there isn't danger here."

"We're the Jedi, the peacemakers, no one attacks us."

"I know, in theory, that peace is profitable and stability leads to large scale prosperity. But violence is the tool of fast profit, and if you put yourselves between fast profit and the good of the many, the many who rarely agree with each other, then you are going to have to fight for it. Peacemakers aren't guaranteed to enjoy peace themselves."

Obi-Wan began, "How can you-" then he shook his head, "how can you sound so much like a Jedi and not feel like you belong here? Why do you think the Jedi train as we do? The power we have with the Force, it's why we owe it to the galaxy to be peacemakers. But surely you realize that with so many of us together we become almost impossible to hurt even while sharing a planet with the Senate."

"I told you, Obi-Wan, I'm not afraid, I just don't feel comfortable yet."

"Because you don't feel safe? Rey, this is my home, I can promise you that you are safe here."

She stared at him, this boy who thought home was synonyms with safety.

"When we first met, I thought you were an optimist," Obi-Wan remarked, leaning back and crossing his arms.

That struck a nerve, she didn't know why but it did, "I can still be an optimist and not believe in absolutes."

He opened his mouth then closed it, it seemed she too had struck a mark, because he stood, "Are you ready?"

She nodded, taking her tray with her to someone who would do the dishes for her.

oOo

Rey was glad that instead of more temple exploring they went back to Obi-Wan's room to play cards.

As she was still figuring out the rules, she was dismal at it, but it was still fun, and she enjoyed Obi-Wan taking no pity on her.

They had a few rounds that he was able to beat her in two or three moves. Which meant losing in seven or nine turns was an accomplishment.

A knock sounded at the door.

And Obi-Wan called over his shoulder, "Present!"

The door opened to a Twi'lek woman and a Chiss male.

Obi-Wan grinned at them then back at Rey, "Rey, these are my friends Prie and Jape. We were creche-mates. Prie, Jape, this is Rey, Master Jinn's second Padawan."

Both came in with their own smiles.

"Hey Rey," Prie said, folding herself into a cross legged position on the floor beside her, as Jape sat beside Obi-Wan with a sigh.

Jape scoped up their cards, holding his hand out for Rey's which she gave without a word. He said, "The only Master in known history to take on two apprentices outside of an emergency, and you're _nineteen,_ the Temple is abuzz with news of you, little Rey. It is an honour to meet you in the flesh."

"Same," she said, trying to hold onto her smile as Jape reshuffled the cards, passing them out between the four of them.

"Honestly, Obi-Wan, you should have seen my Master's face on our way back."

"My Master was amused," Prie said, glaring down at her hand as if they had offended her.

"What was the Council's take? They didn't unanimously accept this, did they?" Jape asked.

"I heard that Master Yoda suggested Jinn keep teaching you both, is that true?" Prie asked before Obi-Wan could answer.

Obi-Wan had his attention on Rey, and she was trying to bury her discomfort with the abruptness of these two apprentices. And what did _creche-mate_ mean?

Nodding, Obi-Wan said, "It was unanimous, and my Master said I was ready to take the trials."

Jape whistled, "When are you taking them?"

"This year, maybe next, Master Yoda asked me to stay on with Master Jinn."

Prie laid down the first card, followed quickly by Obi-Wan then Jape, and Rey fumbled her cards, regretting her choice as soon as Prie snatched back up the one she had just put down. Hmming to herself, the Twi'lek asked, "Really? Why break pro- Oh," she looked at Rey, "I guess you're going to need the extra help, huh? How is it being a Padawan, by the way, when you don't know anything beforehand?"

"Prie!" Jape chastised, giving Rey a roguish grin, "Feel free to ignore her, our Prie has a habit of saying whatever comes into her head. It can only being expected, seeing as she spends most of her time charming animals, not intelligent sentients."

Something from Obi-Wan's side table came flying at the back of Jape's head. He ducked at the last moment, laughing, as Obi-Wan caught it mid air. With a dry voice, he remarked, "Prie, I know Jape makes it hard, but he isn't worth turning to the Dark Side for, not by half."

Prie stuck her tongue out at both of them, and Jape kept laughing on the floor.

Rey had no clue what to do or say, and having lost track of the game, she wasn't even sure if it was her turn or not. These were Obi-Wan's true friends and she felt more like an outsider than ever.

"Damn," Obi-Wan cursed, "Rey, I forgot, Qui-Gon gave me homework for you after we ate."

"What?" she asked, nervous. Jedi had homework? She stood when he did.

"Oh, you poor girl," Prie said sympathetically, "Master Jinn's assignments are almost always dull."

"No, they aren't," Obi-Wan protested, his cheeks flushing.

Jape sat up, leaning back on his hands to look up at her, "You will have a slow road with Jinn, little Padawan."

Obi-Wan waved a hand to Rey, saying to his friend, "When you can pull carrier ships out of the sky, Jape, then you can give Rey grief on her training."

The Chiss gaped at her, as did Prie.

Jape asked, "Whoa, wait, that was her? You blew up an entire carrier ship on Naboo with a Force pull?"

"Without training?" Prie asked, her voice awed.

Obi-Wan touched Rey's back to lead her out of the room, "She's one of us."

Rey was saved from any remarks of her own when the door closed behind them, her last glimpse of the other two Padawans was Prie reshuffling the cards.

She let out a sharp sigh. Obi-Wan led her in silence through the Temple. When her thoughts stilled a bit, she asked, "What's a creche-mate?"

"Initiates are put into different groups," he answered. "A creche is a group you are raised with. We grow up training together until it comes time for the Masters to choose us as Padawans."

"So they are like your siblings then? Do all initiates get chosen?"

"Every Jedi are as siblings to each other, but creches certainly are familiar. Though we make friends outside our groups as well. No, not all are chosen, there are different branches they are sent to if they can't continue on as Jedi, with the military, agriculture reserves, or other. I almost wasn't chosen myself."

"Really?" she asked, disbelieving.

He nodded, "I was a tad too aggressive."

"Wouldn't aggression be useful for a knight?"

"No, Force users have to be particularly careful of strong emotions. I joked, earlier about the Dark Side, but it isn't a laughing matter. Strong emotions, dark emotions, can tap into the side of the Force that is addictive. The Dark Side will take everything you are, leaving you altered into something you wouldn't recognize. Jedi have done terrible things while under its influence, it is why our teachings seem harsh at times. That is why it is so incredibly hard to become a Jedi, being born with a connection to the Force isn't enough."

"But Master Jinn saw you could overcome it."

Obi-Wan smiled, "Qui-Gon is a strange person."

They were in the Master's wing now, and he knocked on the door to Master Jinn's door.

When no answer came, Obi-Wan walked in, she followed after a bit hesitantly. A wash of relief swept over her. This room was the most familiar to her in her short time at the Temple, even if she had been staying with Obi-Wan the last few nights, her bed placed across from his back in the Padawan dorms.

"Make yourself comfortable, I wasn't serious about the homework. Your actual training doesn't start until tomorrow," Obi-Wan said as he began to move things around on Master Jinn's desk.

Confused, she asked, "Then what are we doing here without Master Jinn? And- what are you doing?"

"Looking for something for you to read," he said, opening a drawer.

"Wait- what? Obi-Wan, you can't just go looking through his things, that's-"

The blonde looked back at her with an amused smirk, "Rey, this is the Jedi Temple, privacy is more a pretence than an actuality."

She thought of the way Prie and Jupe had barged into his room, and she really hoped that wasn't normal, because whether someone knocked or not, she had trained herself to greet any 'visitors' with a less than gracious welcome.

"Ah- here we go." He held up a holo sheet. He held it out to her but she refused to take it. "Rey, Qui-Gon will not mind, I swear it. You can come back to our room once you're ready for sleep. I'll boot Jupe and Prie out if they are still there by then."

"I can't take his stuff, and Master Jinn didn't say-"

"_Qui-Gon_ will not mind. His room is open to you, always, unless on some rare occasion that he asks us to leave. Honestly, Rey, there are few places you are not allowed to go in the Temple, you could wander into almost any of the other Masters' rooms and they wouldn't be angry. You could knock on any Padawan's door for that matter and they would likely welcome you. This is your home."

She took the sheet reluctantly.

"It's on Naboo's foliage, I can run to the archives if you would like something different?" Obi-Wan asked, his tone soft.

"No, this is fine. Thank you, Obi-Wan."

He grinned, "Do try to breathe. I know you're not going to feel at ease here right away, but I meant what I said earlier, you're one of us now."

She sank down on a bench by the window, still unsure.

He waved from the doorway, "See you later."

And then she was alone.

She closed her eyes and tipped her head back against the wall, trying to deepen her breathing. The room was perfectly quiet. Only the gentlest hums from the kitchen unit and the light hiss of air from the vents.

After a few minutes, she opened her eyes, the little glass windchime was motionless above her.

Slipping off her shoes and tucking them beneath the bench, she pulled her legs up to her chest and began to play with the holo. She looked over the systems and settings, adjusting what could be adjusted before starting in on the files.

Most plants didn't do so well in the desert. It was completely fascinating to be able to put names to the leaves and trees she had seen on Naboo. She didn't even know plants could be such complex organisms, nor the breadth of their variety.

For a time she was utterly absorbed, so absorbed she almost missed the presence of Master Jinn at the door. She managed not to jump when he entered.

He looked tired, but he smiled at her as she sat up straight, feet on the floor. He gestured for her to stay, before he took off his own shoes, "How was your evening, my Padawan."

Something in her warmed at the title, a sense of belonging filling her that she wanted more than anything to be true. "Um, good, I met some of Obi-Wan's friends, Prie and Jape."

He nodded, "Ah yes, they are both quite talented, though neither has progressed as fast as Obi-Wan despite being chosen as Padawans almost a year earlier." There was a distinct note of pride in his voice. He pulled the hair band from his hair, running his fingers through the long greying strands.

She held the holo a bit anxiously, unsure what to say.

Noticing what she held, he asked, "What are you reading?"

Her shoulders tensed, telling herself to trust in Obi-Wan that Master Jinn wouldn't be upset with her, "Your book on Naboo's native foliage."

His blue eyes lit up, "Are you enjoying it? Have you found a favourite plant?"

She almost slumped with relief, her own excitement rising, "The giant ferns, I didn't know plants could move like that, not enough that you could visibly see them retreat. I wish I had seen them when we were there."

His smile was gentle as he sat on the floor cross legged, and gestured for her to join him, "Come sit with me. You're in luck, there is a smaller variety of that fern in the gardens here at the Temple."

"Truly?" she asked, slipping down to the floor, leaving the holo on the bench.

"We can go see them tomorrow evening if you are up for it after training," he said. "Have you ever meditated before?"

"Um…" was her classy reply.

His eyes smiled at her, "Most people have, even if they haven't realized it. Just as most people assume there is a wrong and a right way to meditate. There isn't. There are, however, many different types of meditations."

They were facing each other, and she mirrored him, folding her hands as he did.

He went on, "The form I want you to try tonight is simple but quite effective, especially before sleep or for a restless mind. You can keep your eyes open or closed, you could even do this walking if you wanted to, the key is to focus on your breath. Our breathing is something that is both involuntary and almost completely under our control if we wish it to be. If you can calm your breathing, you can regulate your heartbeat, convince your own body and your mind that you are safe and well."

She nodded to indicate she was following.

"Some meditations require you to retreat inward or focus on a particular thought, problem, or object. But for this, just bring yourself back to your breath. Let your senses explore, be aware of your surroundings, your own thoughts, but don't hold on to them. Let each sensation and errant thought pass. Don't judge yourself if your thoughts run off course, but when you recognize yourself being distracted, bring your focus back to your breath.

"It is very easy to get lost in meditations, even easier to become frustrated by outside irritants, such as the hum of a heater, the hissing of the centralized air, the movements of the people in the room with you. But let it pass, focus back on your breathing, nothing else requires your attention."

She nodded.

He tapped her knee with a light hand, "Remember, there is no way to fail to meditate, just trying is half the battle."

She nodded a final time and Master Jinn closed his eyes, his face softening to completely serene lines. She let her own eyes close, thinking she could do this. She had been on her own almost her entire life, sitting quietly wasn't a hardship.

But she found her own mind was anything but calm. Her eyes flashed open, Master Jinn hadn't moved at all.

Keeping her eyes open this time, she focused back on her breathing, trying not to think over her own worries. But in doing nothing, her worries seemed to grow loud, shouting for her attention. She looked around the room for a distraction. She focused on a piece of driftwood to Master Jinn's left. She tried memorizing the shape and quality of it, wondering what had worn the wood so.

After some time, she was able to focus more and more on her breathing. She began counting her breaths, but that quickly became boring. She looked back to the piece of driftwood, splitting her focus between searching the wood and keeping her breaths even.

Eventually, the act of breathing became all that mattered, her eyes drifted shut. Focusing on breathing became an effort, and that effort is what kept her sitting upright.

After an unknown period of time, some moments seemed to take an eternity to pass, while others sped past at an alarming rate, Master Jinn stirred.

Her eyes snapped open, and he smiled at her, "Time for both us to get some rest for the night, I think."

She stood, her legs stiff, Master Jinn stood with as much elegance as he did all things. "I can walk you back-"

But she was already shaking her head, "It's alright, I know the way." She bowed to him, "Thank you, Master Jinn."

He smiled at her in fond amusement, "As I failed to make clear, and where I hope Obi-Wan made clear, you are always welcome in this space whenever you are in need of an escape. The Padawan halls are often much more active than this wing."

She bowed again, "Thank you. Good night, Master Jinn."

"Good night, Rey."

She left feeling more secure and settled than she had felt since leaving Jakku. On the way back to Obi-Wan's room, she tried to focus on her breathing as she recalled which turns to take. She passed only a few Jedi on her way and none did more than nod their heads to her.

She didn't knock, just in case Obi-Wan was already asleep, which he was. Sleeping on his back, he looked even younger than she did, despite him being a few years older. She changed in the side room and came back as quietly as she could.

Sliding into her own bed, she had hoped that exhaustion would finally claim her, her sleep the last few nights hadn't been wholly restful.

But no, despite how tired she was, sleep proved evasive. She pulled the blanket around herself. It wasn't cold, but it felt much colder than she was used to. Her mind wandering, she ended up being able to identify Obi-Wan's soft breathing.

Turning on her side to see him, she envied his peaceful slumber. He hadn't even woken when she entered. The room was in shadow but there was still light enough to see by thanks to the traffic and the lights from the city outside.

She focused on the sound of his breathing, letting the sound lull her into sleep.

If Obi-Wan believed they were safe, then they were safe. She carried that thought into her dreams like a talisman.

* * *

AN: I promise Palps and action are on their way but I'm finding that writing Star Wars cries out for so much more character development from me. Thoughts, reactions, or Wookie protests?


	5. If My Feet had Wings

**3Week Challenge:** So I lost two members of my family this month and all my other hobbies are not things I have been able to focus on. Star Wars has been my refuge and this fanfic is keeping my head above water.

My heart goes out to all of you and your loved ones who might be struggling with your own hardships. All I can say is life does go on, and even the darkest of storms must pass.

For this story, my goal is to reach 100K words in the next three weeks. Any and all feedback or reactions are really going to help keep me pumped. In other words, I'm asking y'all to be my patrons and for tips in the form of reviews, in turn, I will do my damndest to get this story rockin.

So toss a coin to your Witcher, because we're off on an adventure. (And I'll be posting another chapter tomorrow with Palps;)

Chapter 5 - If My Feet Had Wings

They were in one of the Master's practice rooms, which meant they had relative privacy. There were still places up above people could watch, and of course, others could walk in, but when in use these rooms were reserved.

Obi-Wan was alternating between watching Qui-Gon and Rey.

Rey looked more relaxed than she had done since arriving at the Temple. She wasn't a Padawan worried about impressing her Master, not like he himself had been at thirteen, no, Rey was centred in finally having a task to accomplish.

Qui-Gon was… Obi-Wan didn't have a clue what his Master had planned. He was very glad not to be the Master in this situation because he wouldn't have known what to begin teaching.

Maybe lightsabers?

But Qui-Gon was currently holding Rey's staff, he tested its weight and strength with a sharp rap against the floor.

"Good, this will hold up well."

Rey quirked a brow at him, "I know."

Qui-Gon handed it back to before raising a hand and a staff, somewhat longer than Rey's, came to his hand, it was made from some mixture of metal and synthetic material. A training staff that could have stood up to a training lightsaber or false Kyber.

Qui-Gon motioned and Obi-Wan moved forward to face Rey.

"This has been your weapon of choice for the majority of your life, but you've had no formal training in staff-work, correct?"

She nodded.

"Obi-Wan is trained in swordplay, mainly, but he will adapt and you will both find that he is the superior fighter despite how instinctual your staff is to you."

Master Jinn then twirled his staff, then delivered a sharp check to first Obi-Wan's calf then to hers. Obi-Wan, well used to his Master checking him, didn't flinch. Rey, however, did flinch, picking her foot up, but she didn't retreat.

Which meant she didn't believe Qui-Gon would truly hurt her. A good sign that.

The checks themselves stung but they weren't all that painful.

"That is as hard as Obi-Wan will hit you. For the first few weeks, I want neither of you to aim for the head. For most people, protecting the head is well ingrained, for a Jedi who is open to the Force, a head blow is one in a million. However, you can hit him as hard as you like." Qui-Gon turned to look him straight in the eyes as he handed over the staff, "Don't let her land a blow."

Interesting, Obi-Wan thought, taking the staff. He twirled it to get a feel for it. It was a fine weapon, solid. He found it interesting that he could only check her and he couldn't take a hit. He wondered if she would interrupt that as being told to take it easy on her, when the opposite was true.

Jedi were trained to spar, to be non-lethal in combat despite having weapons that could slice through nearly anything. He was honestly more used to delivering checks than cutting all the way through. And if he wasn't supposed to take a hit, he would have to use more speed to avoid her, which in turn, meant she would have to work that much harder to mount an offence.

Qui-Gon moved to step away, but Obi-Wan caught his arm, "Wait, Rey, undo the middle section of your hair."

She gave him an odd look but did as he asked without question.

Qui-Gon's voice came to his mind, _Thank you, Obi-Wan._ Before he stepped forward and gently separated a lock of her hair so he could braid it. It always amazed Obi-Wan how nimble Qui-Gon's large hands were. In moments, Rey had a long brown Padawan braid behind her right ear. Obi-Wan pulled the extra tie he kept on his own. Qui-Gon stepped back to give him the honour of tying off the braid.

"There, officially a Jedi Padawan," Obi-Wan said, bowing low to her. She mirrored him, her face delighted.

When she straightened, she pulled the remaining hair back into a bun. Her hand hesitating over the braid, its presence seeming to give her new courage.

It had been the same for Obi-Wan.

Going to the sidelines, Qui-Gon instructed, "Begin, Padawans mine."

Rey crouched, her staff in front of her as she had stood before Master Windu.

They circled each other, and Obi-Wan advanced. At first, he just did obvious strikes, their staffs meeting with satisfying clicks.

She was good, very good, more defensive than offensive. She had an excellent sense of where her hands were. No matter his blows, he never got a strike close to her hands.

Maybe an hour passed, when Obi-Wan felt Qui-Gon's urging in his head.

Rey seemed warmed up enough.

Having a better feel for the staff now, Obi-Wan pressed the attack.

Rey met his strikes, but she was backing up. And _there,_ he saw his opening as she finally swung out against him in a serious blow. But she manged to pull the hit in order to guard herself.

Most people wouldn't have had the presence of mind to pull a strike like that.

But her training wasn't enough, Obi-Wan got a check in.

He saw her eyes blaze, but she didn't lose control, even as her footwork became more planted.

This gave him the advantage, and he delivered a sharp to check to her thigh.

Which is when he had to almost drop back to the floor to avoid being clocked in the shoulder.

He rolled to his feet, his heart racing, and he grinned at her.

No, she wasn't a warrior, but she had the makings of one.

They went on like this for another thirty minutes when Qui-Gon called a halt.

Rey stood panting and sweating, her limbs trembling.

Obi-Wan took the opportunity to wipe his own brow.

"Rey, Obi-Wan is going to touch your shoulder," Qui-Gon said, coming to stand by them He was looking over his new Padawan closely.

Obi-Wan followed the instruction, laying his hand on her shoulder.

She flinched.

She probably wouldn't have if Qui-Gon had told her to take a check instead.

"Breathe," Qui-Gon instructed, "you're not fighting, you're sparing. We will not allow you to be harmed."

She settled her breath, and Obi-Wan took his hand back, before she asked, "I thought you would treat training like it's real."

"Perhaps, but you need to be trained into shape first. Muscle memory will always serve your instincts best. And while you are healthy, we will be asking positions for your muscles that will certainly be protested." With that, he stepped back and they began again.

And so it went.

Hours passed, Qui-Gon stopping them whenever Rey's adrenaline seemed to be rising. She appeared only the slightest bit irritated by this, but she didn't protest Qui-Gon's methods of teaching.

Obi-Wan smiled to himself, perhaps they were more alike than he thought.

When they finally broke for lunch, she was still smiling.

They certainly couldn't fault her on energy. Toward the end, even Obi-Wan had been drawing on the Force to support him. They hadn't reached his limit, not by a long shot, but as Rey stretched before she went to the shower, he realized they hadn't even come close to hers.

"Your motions are jagged, a staff is not a sword, Obi-Wan. There is no reason to stop your motions, follow through, the back end is as much a weapon as a shield."

He nodded, he had noted the same but the saberplay was so deeply ingrained that in a long sparring match he fell back on those habits. "We haven't scratched the surface on her endurance, have we?"

Qui-Gon shook his head as they waited for her before going to lunch. Obi-Wan was sweaty too, but Qui-Gon had let him in on that they would be spending the rest of the afternoon running anyway.

And sweaty Padawans in the Padawan lunch hall was pungent normality.

"Her endurance is both a great asset and rather problematic. She will be sore, but I think her body is so terribly used to extremes, scavenging in the desert, on near-constant defence, and from the look of her, limited nitration. Which means getting her to the point that she _must_ draw on the Force will be difficult."

"You know, if we duel with lightsabers, that would necessitate she draw on the Force."

But Qui-Gon shook his head, "She's too far behind. Lightsabers are incredibly useful, but the only reason a Jedi _needs_ them is in the eventuality she comes across another lightsaber wielder. I would rather capitalize on her other talents. She has as much raw power in the Force as Master Yoda, yet she's younger than Yoda, her energy more abundant. Her telekinesis will make her formidable on any battlefield."

He wasn't kidding, Obi-Wan thought, in one blow she had taken down that carrier ship with hundreds of blasters that would have been pointed at them. In the instant, her telekinesis was more use to them even if she had been trained with a lightsaber.

Qui-Gon went on, "Training her like this is a double edged blade, the more she trains, the stronger she will get, which means reaching her true limits will take that much longer."

"Why not just push her harder?"

"One, because the training will do both of you good, until now you have been a well-rounded Jedi with a well-rounded training schedule."

Obi-Wan gave him a suspicious look, "Well-rounded?"

Qui-Gon's lips twitched, "I told the Council that we will be off assignments for a few months, and they agreed."

Obi-Wan got the distinct impression that Rey wasn't going to be the only one finding their limits. The implication that a not well-rounded training might involve near constant physical activity might have bothered many Padawans, Obi-Wan wasn't one them. Smiling, he asked, "And the second thing?"

Rey had emerged from the shower, her hair down, the Padawan braid visibly only for the small band.

Qui-Gon said before she reached them, "Because if she can reach her limits without being driven to an emotional extreme, she will fall back on her strength, on the Force, not her fear to survive."

Obi-Wan mulled that over as Qui-Gon greeted Rey with a smile, asking her about her thoughts on the day's sparring.

He didn't think anyone else could have trained Rey but Qui-Gon, because he was absolutely right on this path. It was the reimagining of the initiates training. There had been no fear, not really, for Obi-Wan. Not in his training at least, perhaps when he was battling for a position as a Padawan, but otherwise? No, he had been sparring as long as he could remember.

Rey had probably been fighting for her life and safety as long as she could remember.

If she was to be trained without aggression, without fear, they would have to push her forward without triggering her fight or flight responses. Which, if they were training with lightsabers instead of staffs, that wouldn't have been wholly possible.

Yes, there were training sabers, but they still burned, they still made noise and they were still beams of light when brought inches from ones face was sure to trigger some response.

Staffs could be dangerous, certainly, but they were mundane, and she was used to them. Also, Obi-Wan was pretty sure that within a few years she would a master of the staff in the way that some Guardian of the Whills were said to be masters.

Any mastery, in almost any weapon, was still a mastery. And if she one day followed Qui-Gon in his diplomatic efforts, she might not even have much cause to rely on a saber.

"I will see you both here tomorrow morning. Do not forget to stretch my Padawans," Qui-Gon said, drawing Obi-Wan from his thoughts.

They bowed.

Rey turned to him with a grin, "You're amazing, you know."

He smiled back, "Not so bad yourself. I think you're going to beat me with these staffs sooner rather than later."

She swung the strap of said staff over her shoulder, "I better, this is my turf, Jedi. But I'll let you be the reigning champion of lightsabers."

"Allow me?" he asked with a smile, as they began to walk.

Well, _he_ walked, Rey was almost skipping at his side as she sassed him, "Sure, Master Jinn said I would do well to be mindful of my elders."

Obi-Wan scoffed, not that he disagreed, in the Jedi Temple, seniority was a major factor, but to hear that from Qui-Gon was another matter altogether. "And they say I'm the one with the dry wit."

She laughed, and the sound lifted Obi-Wan's spirits. Training Rey would be a challenge, but Rey herself was not a challenging person.

She would make a most singular Jedi.

oOo

Obi-Wan was relieved a week later when Rey began to drop off into sleep before he did at night. Their training took up all of their day except for meals, mediation after meals, and a space of time before where even Obi-Wan hardly had the energy to read. His endurance as it turned out, could not match Rey's, and Obi-Wan could only thank the Force that he hadn't lived a lifetime trying to survive in the desert with intensive physical labour the only thing keeping him between life and starvation.

But as he was a Jedi, he relied on the Force and never fell behind Rey, despite her best efforts to push that much further. But relying on the Force that constantly was both making Obi-Wan stronger and tasking his energy reserves. Rey seemed to take great joy in waking him up from a deep sleep with a pillow to the face each sunrise.

Qui-Gon had regimented their days completely. Sparring every morning, followed by various exercises in the afternoon, whether running, lifting, held stretching poses, or other forms of physical torture that were -in theory- extremely good for the body. They meditated after meals, giving them both time to digest and reset. Rey was as uncomplaining about mediation as she was their insane training.

Again he was sure most of their fellow Padawans would have protested.

But Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi was loving every moment of it. It was certainly better than archive homework. There was also the fact that Qui-Gon was present for the entire morning, every morning. Master Jedi typically had better things to do with their time, and while Qui-Gon had spent countless hours training Obi-Wan in the past, he had also given Obi-Wan time to practice alone.

Only initiatives needed supervision for the millionth completion of a sequence. But Qui-Gon was a constant presence in Rey's sparring, and it wasn't just she who benefitted from this. His Master had a tendency to call him out more for slips, no matter how slight, then he did Rey, and this was because she never got bored. When Obi-Wan was corrected, she took the pointer as well. It allowed their Master to be both informative and less harsh to the newbie.

This also meant Obi-Wan could get away with absolutely no sloppiness without being called out on it, and that Qui-Gon shared more of his own knowledge on weaponry than Obi-Wan had the opportunity to learn. After all, if one had limited time with their Master than Obi-Wan had always reserved his best for Qui-Gon's observation. He was good, but even Obi-Wan couldn't be on his best hours and days on end. Allowing Qui-Gon a chance to do an unprecedented amount of nitpicking, repetitively so.

In the afternoons, Qui-Gon let Obi-Wan take the lead. Sometimes Qui-Gon would give instructions to be followed, but mostly Obi-Wan decided what training routine they would complete. It was a bit like having a Padawan of his own, but as he had to do whatever he came up with too, while their actaul Master was off enjoying his evenings.

They had one day off a week, in which Rey and Obi-Wan spent with Qui-Gon in his rooms.

This was the day she assaulted them with an endless barrage of questions.

Qui-Gon answered all in his knowledge over a cup of tea.

"So the Separatists are against the Republic?" she asked one such day as she and Obi-Wan played cards.

Rey was still trying to learn the rules, and Obi-Wan had yet to let Qui-Gon join them. He wanted her to figure the game out before Qui-Gon started palming cards on her.

Qui-Gon sighed, "Yes, unfortunately. They have been a growing problem of late."

"But if it is the Republic's problem why do you sound so concerned, isn't the Jedi a separate organization?"

"Yes and no."

"So you have to mediate between the two parties."

"I wish that's what we were doing."

Obi-Wan flipped down a card, straightening the discard pile with a tiny shift in the Force, it was a frivolous use of the Force, but watching Rey's light up at the gesture was worth it.

She was a child at heart, and despite her own abilities, everything about the Force seemed to delight her.

Obi-Wan explained Qui-Gon's remark, "The Jedi rule themselves, but we work for the Republic."

She frowned, whether at the cards in her hand or at what he said, he wasn't entirely sure. She placed down a card, the one he needed to win before turning to Qui-Gon, "I thought you said Jedi serve the Force?"

"I do."

Obi-Wan snorted, "By which he means, he lives to disobey the Council."

"I don't always disobey the Council."

Rey cursed under her breath as Obi-Wan laid out his winning hand, and he said to his Master, "That's because you rarely talk to them to ensure they can't tell you no."

Rey chuckled, "Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, is that?"

Obi-Wan laughed, "No, because that would imply he thinks he's done something wrong in the first place."

Her face sobered, "Are the Separatists actually bad people, or is the Republic failing them? I always thought it would be better than to be ruled by the Hutts, but I've been reading some of the Senate debate summaries, and it looks like they're being accused of following their own laws only when it suits them."

"Anarchy is not a solution," Qui-Gon answered, "the destabilizing of the Republic is not regarded to be a good thing, but as you say, the Republic has failed many peoples, both systems in and out of the Republic. System politics are complex enough but under a galaxy-spanning government body… there are no easy answers. But I disagree with Council-"

"Shocking," Obi-Wan muttered as he redealt the cards.

Qui-Gon didn't miss a beat, "that the Jedi should be the ones bringing systems back under Republic control. Many of the systems trying to break away have been dealing with internal problems that supersede the slow pace of the Republic's ability to act. I believe that the Jedi are needed more in such problems than enforcing the laws of the Republic."

Rey was quiet for a long time, her mind not on the cards in her hand even as she played them.

"What do you think, Padawan Rey?" Qui-Gon asked her.

She stilled, tapping her fingers on the cards, before looking up, "I think the Force is bigger than any government, and I don't think any government should be strong arming planets to abide by the Republic's rule if the Republic's rule isn't actually helping them during moments of crisis. What Queen Amidala did for her people, that makes sense to me, and it makes sense to me that the Jedi were there to help her."

Qui-Gon smiled, "The Republic had demanded she come back to Coruscant to make her case. Obi-Wan and I were instructed to escort her, not help her wage battle against the people holding her hostage."

She frowned, "Wait, she would have had to leave to plead her case? Would they have believed her?"

"Unlikely," he admitted to her, "The Trade Federation has bought out many of the representatives and has great influence in the Senate."

"Isn't there anything the Jedi can do about that? I mean there seem to be enough tech savvy people to investigate. If the Jedi were a respected independent third party then-"

Qui-Gon cut her off, his blue eyes bright, "Ah, but who's to say the Jedi can't be corrupted, some would say the Republic would get more done if we had a single leader."

Obi-Wan raised his brows, knowing his Master abhorred that idea, almost as much as Rey did it would seem.

"_No,_" she said emphatically, "that is a horrid idea. It is much easier for one man to be corrupted than an entire democracy. And if the Jedi serve the Living Force first then I'd imagine it would be a lot harder to corrupt if we weren't serving the Republic."

Qui-Gon grinned at her, "I agree."

Obi-Wan sighed, and meeting his Master's gaze, he thought at him, _Happy with yourself? Not a full two months into her training and you've successfully turned her to your ways._

Qui-Gon sipped his tea, thinking back, _Hmm… and yet I had you at a much more impressionable age and its been years, I've still to successfully turn you._

Obi-Wan lifted his chin, _One of us has to play nice with the Council._

_Hmm…_ Was his Master's only reply.

* * *

Qui-Gon could not be more proud of his Padawans. Rey was a sunburst of happiness and energy. And Obi-Wan…

Qui-Gon felt very grateful to be given the opportunity to remain his Master a time longer. He was well and truly ready for his trials, but still Qui-Gon found himself still having to teach his Padawan. And even he was surprised by how much Obi-Wan was flushing with this type of training.

Jedi, as a general rule, were not soldiers, warriors, yes, but these days that was not their primary function. There was no need to train all day, every day.

But Obi-Wan was a young man, and as much as Rey was accelerating, he was matching her for equal measure.

Rey was more powerful than either of them, but as she hadn't as of yet been able to tap into that power, physically they were a match. As a woman, she was more flexible, but Obi-Wan had her beat on strength, and while he hadn't lived in the extreme conditions she had, he had also been training as a warrior his entire life. They kept challenging each other's strengths and weaknesses, growing more formidable both individually and as a team each day.

The Knight trials weren't going to faze him at all if they continued at this rate.

And, Qui-Gon might add, Obi-Wan was doing fairly well with the staff. Qui-Gon himself had been researching staff masters in his afternoons. The archives having quite the collection on the Guardian of the Wills regarding the topic, he had sought out a few of the temple guardians.

It amused Qui-Gon to give his Padawans the passed along knowledge he had learned and watch them figure it out. Rey had a sense for staffs that Obi-Wan would never have, but Obi-Wan knew how to digest complex and often vague fighting instructions and turn it into practicality.

A few of the Temple Guardians had indicated that they would like an opportunity to spar with them.

Qui-Gon agreed, almost certain Obi-Wan would be both delighted and horrified. Training an outlier Padawan was one thing, challenging a Temple guard was quite another. Of course, Qui-Gon had done it on his Padawans' behalf, which would likely embarrass Obi-Wan more.

Today though, he wanted to change up their routine. If Rey had the potential to be a Jedi who relied more on Telekinesis, then she needed to be as proficient with a weapon as without one.

Of course, she was so dedicated to her training, so abled in defensive fighting that Qui-Gon didn't think about how a girl from Tatooine would have fought hand to hand.

Neither, apparently had Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon had a split moment to realize Rey's apprehension had nothing to do with fighting a larger opponent and everything to do with not wanting to hurt her friend.

Because Rey didn't mirror Obi-Wan's fighting stance, she launched herself at him with as much aggression as a nexu. And instead flinging her off, Obi-Wan turned his shoulder to protect his centre.

Which in this instant, was a mistake.

Not a minute later they were on the ground. Rey wrapped behind Obi-Wan, a bent arm circling his neck, her legs tangled around one of his, bending it back in a way that significantly limited his leverage.

Rey looked determined but awkward, Obi-Wan looked surprised and at an utter loss how to get out of his current predicament without hurting her.

"Enough!" Qui-Gon called, both his Padawans rolled away from each other in relief, "My apologies to you both, I wasn't thinking."

Obi-Wan rubbed his neck, "Is that how you fought people on Tatooine? By the Stars, Rey, no wonder no one messed with you."

She shook her head, "If someone disarmed me and I wasn't able to run... No, I wouldn't have fought like that. I would have gone for your eyes, or just caused as much hurt as I could until you let go of me."

"In other words, you have no formal reference for hand to hand fighting," Qui-Gon concluded with self-reproach.

She looked up at him, a note of defiance in her gaze, "I always had my staff on me."

And Qui-Gon discerned that she had been hurt before she gained that particular weapon.

He was glad he reinforced her knowledge with her staff. Obi-Wan had been trained to believe that his lightsaber was his life. Rey had learned that her staff was not just her life, but her freedom and well being.

Qui-Gon offered her a hand up, which she took without hesitation.

"Come, I'll teach you how to spar without a weapon, as well as some Arturo."

Obi-Wan lifted his brows. He had kept his Padawan on the basics for years, now he was going to teach his new Padawan Arturo without a blade. But the acrobatics of Arturo would challenge her, push her to rely more on the Force than almost any of the other Forms, excluding perhaps the seventh forms.

Besides, Obi-Wan could teach her the basics without his guidance once he did introduce Rey to a lightsaber. But until then, he was seizing on the chance to teach what was perhaps the only Padawan in the Order who wasn't asking to be trained with a lightsaber.

He stood to her side and took a stance. So far he had been only watching, interceding where need be, stopping them to give Rey time to settle herself, even showing them a few motions. But this would be the first time he would practice with them.

He felt both Obi-Wan's excitement and distantly Rey's through their bond.

Qui-Gon began the sequences and they followed. Morning passed with few words between them but the connection between the three of them grew, the Living Force praising its growth.

oOo

One day, nearing the fourth month of Rey's entrance to the Temple, found Masters Mace Windu and Yoda joining Qui-Gon as he watched his two Padawan spar hand to hand.

Rey was starting to be able to infuse her strength with the Force, as marked by her occasionally able to toss Obi-Wan across the mats.

"Well, she does," remarked Yoda, "But more to being Jedi than fighting, there is."

Qui-Gon didn't remark, something was different today between his Padawans, he could feel that something was about to break. So he hardly heard Mace say, "Months of combat training and rumour has it she hasn't even held a lightsaber yet. The creche Masters are beginning to chastise the younglings with that."

Qui-Gon glanced at his friend, "And that is a problem because?"

"Because you've been training her for months, and one might think as a Guardian of the Whills rather than a Jedi. I know you spent some time with them, but if your Padawan ends up reflecting your beliefs about-"

Qui-Gon chuckled, "I wish I could take sole credit for it, but her own world view, as it so happens, seems to align well with mine, much to Obi-Wan's despair."

Yoda sighed, "Happy, the Force is; happy, I am not."

Qui-Gon bristled, "I thought you were with me from the start in her becoming my Padawan."

"Thought, I did, that Obi-Wan would influence her more, I did."

"Obi-Wan hasn't complained about your crazy training routine yet, has he?" Mace asked.

Qui-Gon smiled, watching Obi-Wan utilize an Arturo jump to escape Rey's foot sweep. "You know he's one of the most dedicated apprentices in the Order, did you really think he would?"

"Your attention, he seeks," Yoda noted, "To be a Padawan still, glad he is."

Qui-Gon nodded, "He's also training her as much as I am."

"And doing most of the work," Mace muttered.

"What can I say, Dooku taught me to never pass on an advantage."

Yoda tapped his cane, looking between the two sparring Padawans and Qui-Gon, "Something planned, you have. Ready to join them, you are. But true remains it that warrior not all a Jedi is."

"I told you that once, and you told me I was wrong. That the Jedi were more than the Republics soldiers." He sighed, "But dangers she will face and if we continue to throw ourselves into wherever it is the Republic doesn't want to sacrifice its own police for, then she has quite a bit of training to catch up on. Her safety must be paramount." Qui-Gon's focus was recalled back on Rey who was thrown by a frontal kick. She gave herself to the blow, and he felt her use the Force to soften the impact.

So close, they were _so_ close.

"Trained her telekinesis, you have not," Yoda complained, but Qui-Gon ignored him.

Mace spoke and he didn't even hear him because just then-

It clicked.

A surge of victory swept through him, he rose to his feet, leaving Mace and Yoda behind, the Force calling to him.

Rey turned a startled gaze to him and Obi-Wan was grinning.

The bound between the three of them finally settling into reality.

It had taken him and Obi-Wan years to create this, but with Rey it had been there from almost the first meeting.

And what was more than that, Rey was riding battle meditation, her mind, despite her surprise at the new presence of the bond, was still fully immersed in the living Force. Qui-Gon motioned his Padawans, then began to teach them the sequences of Arturo without a lightsaber. With the bond between them open and active, Rey was able to follow himself and Obi-Wan exactly through the sequences. Sequences that took years to perfect, hours and hours upon dedication and practice.

She would still need the practice, but now either Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan would be able to teach her without or extraneous examples.

Dimly he heard Mace say, in a not so quiet voice, "Does he always have to be so unconventional?"

Yoda's response was just disgruntled, "Hmmm… work this does. Unexpected though it is."

Qui-Gon smiled, having the opportunity to prove himself, proving the Living Force right, was deeply satisfying, especially with those two as witnesses.

* * *

Rey didn't know life could feel like this, she didn't know this was possible.

In her mind shone two silver threads at the centre of a golden warmth. She could feel the actions of the world around her before it happened. She could sense Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon with a clarity that she could see the others. When Qui-Gon danced them through the forms, she didn't need her eyes to follow.

She felt his praise, she felt Obi-Wan's fond affection and his slight exasperation with Qui-Gon.

She laughed.

As they moved she felt herself sink deeper into a meditative state. Had someone been shooting at her, she would have felt it before the trigger had been completely pulled. And she knew it not just because she had the feeling but because Obi-Wan had skimmed her thoughts and answered, _Yes._

From that day onward, training was more than fun, more than challenging it was…

Freedom.

She followed Obi-Wan through sequence after sequence, when she flipped through the air she felt weightless, as if she had wings.

Her feet seemed to hardly touch the ground.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, wishes, or lightsaber pikes? Pretty, pretty please?


	6. Echoes

3Week challenge: 100K in three weeks, and it only took me 12 hours to write one chapter. This is going to be fun. Thank you to the reviewers, your support means the world :D

* * *

WARNING: Some violence in this, though not as bad as watching the MC receive 'just a flesh wound' before being set on fire.

* * *

Dear Svenion, damn summoner. I didn't plot him but you mentioned him and he demanded a scene, and then hijacked the entire chapter.

Chapter 6 - Echoes

Dooku was rather incensed. He agreed with the Separatists, he truly did, he even wanted to help them but-

"Are you insane?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

Dooku gave him a scornful look, "Has the Order not called you home yet? Surely the Council member is meant to be with the Council."

"Holograms, my friend, the technology has existed for quite some time now. Besides, Yoda insists you can help me."

"Interesting, and why should I care what Master Yoda wants, I am no longer a part of your Order?"

Sifo-Dyas grinned, "Because you still call him Master, and as Yoda's Padawan-"

"Yes, yes," Dooku waved him off, "but if you are the one who needs my help, then into my business you need play no part."

"But the Separatists? Really Dooku?"

"The Republic is useless."

Sifo-Dyas scoffed, "And you know something better?"

"An Empire would be smarter than this."

Sifo-Dyas gaped at him, "No, it would not."

"We could get more done. It is not if we can depend on the Jedi."

"Again, my friend, just because I'm here with you, does not mean that I am not a Jedi." Then muttered, "And a Council member."

"Yes, but you came here ready to wage war with a clone army."

"And I have not ruled it out yet," Sifo-Dyas countered, "because of the mounting threat of the Separatists that _you_ seem to be ready to support."

"I do support them."

Sifo-Dyas glowered at him, "And how many of our people will die in the process?"

"None, if the Jedi weren't mindless dogs to the Republic."

"Is your Padawan a mindless dog? What will you do if he dies in the fires you help start?"

Dooku looked at Sifo-Dyas.

Sifo-Dyas winced, putting his hands up, "I do not wish to cause you harm, Dooku, but there will be consequences for our actions."

Dooku did not want to admit that, if Qui-Gon would just join him he might ensure-

A hologram appeared, standing in a shimmer of blue was Senator Palpatine, "Count Dooku," he greeted, voice pleasant and wholesome, as if he meant what he was saying, "And Master Sifo-Dyas, what a welcome surprise."

Sifo-Dyas frowned first at the Senator then back at Dooku, "What is this? Why are you meeting with the Senator from Naboo?"

"Because we share ideas about how the galaxy might be. He believes the Republic cannot continue as it has been, and unlike many a politician, I trust he has the peoples' best interest at heart."

Sifo-Dyas turned and bowed his head to the Senator, asking warily, "Are you a Sepratatist supporter as well?"

"Not as such," Palpatine said, "But I understand the cause of the movement and I think we mig-"

"Wait," Dooku said, holding up his hand. "There should be someone else here for this."

He picked up his comm, and the other two men waited.

"Hello?" came a welcome voice.

"Ah, Qui-Gon, I trust that you are well."

A beat of silence, followed by, "Yes, Master Dooku, I hope the same could be said for you." Another pause, before Qui-Gon lost his diplomatic facade, "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if I might include you in a conference, I find that I am in much desire of your council. If you are not too busy at the moment…"

He heard his old Padawan sigh, "As it happens, I am free, and as you've never asked for my council befor-"

"Excellent," Dooku cut him off, "I shall transfer you to a hologram if that is amenable?"

"It is, a moment."

And a moment later a ghostly image of Qui-Gon stood with them, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He looked around at the company, and Dooku felt a bit of surprise from the bond.

"Master Jinn," Senator Palpatine said warmly, "Welcome. And if I might take the time, thank you for your efforts on Naboo. My Queen and I have been meaning to pay you and your Padawans a visit."

Qui-Gon bowed his head, "Your Queen is quite the credit to her station and people."

"That she is."

Sifo-Dyas was losing patience, "What are we meant to be discussing, Dooku?"

"First, Qui-Gon, I would like to hear your view on the Separatist movement."

Qui-Gon gazed at him, searching his face, "Odd to be asked that question from you, Master, when my Padawan asked me the same question not so long ago."

"And your answer, my old Padawan?"

"I sympathize with their plight and I believe the Republic is handling it poorly."

"And the Jedi?"

"What do you want me to say, Master Dooku?"

"I want your input, student, you are wise and not a sheep to the Council."

"I resent you," Sifo-Dyas muttered.

Qui-Gon gave the Council member a peculiar look before he said exactly what was on his mind just as he had when he was a young man, "I think the Jedi should become a true third party. I think if anyone should be Separating from the Republic, it should be the Jedi."

Senator Palpatine seemed taken aback by this course of action, "Surely, Master Jinn, there is less extreme solution? Perhaps the Jedi are given a greater voice, a representative from the senate in the Jedi Council-"

"It is not extreme," Qui-Gon retorted, "It is _necessary_. Jedi are the peacemakers, not the Republic's dogs. We were meant to serve the Force, not politics."

A sense of pride filled Dooku even as Palpatine pressed, "But surely the Jedi leaving would cause more problems, you might end up supporting both sides of a war."

Dooku frowned at the notion, and a little warning fluttered through the Force. Something had changed in Palpatine's words, some tone… something.

"Well lucky for us, waging war is not the business of the Jedi. There are inter-galactic laws that Jedi could enforce without the Republic's guidance."

"Such as?"

"Chemical or biological warfare?" Qui-Gon offered, his tone sharper.

Dooku forgot how wonderful Qui-Gon's silver tongue could be when uncensored. Here in the halls of Serreno, Palpatine was not a Senator and Sifo-Dyas not a Council member, they were just men speaking heresy in confidence.

Qui-Gon went on, "There are of course non-humanoid planets whose cultures would need to be reviewed on an individual case by case, but for the most part- There are obvious crimes in the galaxy that we, the Jedi, could be utilized against.

"Our main purpose should be mediating conflicts so the systems might work through their own concerns and grow from it. To go where we are asked to go rather than commanded. It rarely does any good for an outside power to enforce change, democracy is not born from _forcing_ people to participate. That type of change must come from within if it is to be sustained. The Jedi could advise them, keep things from growing into violence.

"The galaxy knows us as warriors, but we could be so much more."

"Pretty in theory," Palpatine said, "But the Republic has done much the same and without being able to enforce democracy then-"

"Unwanted help will always be resented. The Republic is failing. They have declared slavery illegal, yet they perpetrate human traffic, if not simply letting it go unhindered. The most they do is shift it from open view, on occasion. If the Republic continues to enforce only the laws that benefit the politicians then I suspect movements such as the Separatists will only grow in strength, and if they are not brought to the table for discussions then the violence will escalate."

Dooku was enjoying himself, both because his student was well and truly a rebel, as well as being absurdly proud of his apprentice's articulation.

Perhaps somewhere along the way, Dooku had lost sight of what he was fighting for. He saw power as a means to an end.

Qui-Gon so the power they already had, and desired only the freedom to act. He didn't want to rule, he wanted to pave down a long and hard road that might sustain through the ages if brought into reality.

"Yes," Palpatine agreed, "It will escalate. And what you are suggesting is a fantasy. The Jedi will not abandon the Republic. The Jedi will not change, a credit you yourself are to your Master and the Jedi, but you are the minority, Master Jinn. The Jedi will not change course, and even if they could, I fear it would be too late."

Dooku watched Sifo-Dyas shift in place, as if he would deny it.

Qui-Gon straightened, "A path should not be abandoned because it is not easy, because it has not been done before, nor because people lack faith in it. The Force is larger than the Republic or the Separatists, and it will remain so no matter what wars are waged. The Force will remain, what is wrong and what is right will remain, no other truth will hold true."

"Except for the fact that truth is notoriously hard to decipher, Jinn," Sifo-Dyas said, only a tad bitter.

Qui-Gon was unphased as he told the prophet, "All we can do is in the present, trying to determine every outcome of the future can only distract what the Force is trying to tell us _now_."

"You're a zealot," Palpatine disparaged with an uncharacteristic sneer.

"My student is wise, a mystic perhaps, and perhaps not right in all things, but neither is he wrong," Dooku stated, "If the Jedi separated from the Republic it would be-"

"Chaos," Sifo-Dyas stated.

"Give undo support to the Separatists," Palpatine remarked.

"Be a start of a new age," Dooku concluded.

Sifo-Dyas responded, "Yoda would sooner kill us all. And Mace would help him do it."

"Mace wouldn't kill us," Qui-Gon protested, "Send us to prison? Maybe. But no one listens to me anyway so the point is moot, I suppose."

That saddened Dooku, "You threatened once to join me, Qui-Gon, you and yours would be welcome at my side."

He shook his head, "Master, I wish you had a seat on the Council and remained with the Jedi."

"Why? When you yourself say they do not listen."

"Because at least then someone in charge would hear my thoughts, and whether or not the Council would act on your words in turn, it remains that they would owe it to you to debate the issues. The Council, for all their talk, are nearly one minded."

"I honestly cannot stand either of you," Sifo-Dyas, the resident Council member, quipped.

Palpatine began to speak but a wave of pain and terror swept through the bond between him and Qui-Gon. He staggered a step forward as Qui-Gon did the same, his old apprentice catching himself against something they could not see.

Dooku was worried Qui-Gon had been attacked, but when his student looked up, it wasn't a look of pain on his face, but horror.

He breathed one word, "_Rey._"

And then he was gone, leaving Dooku with a sickening sense that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong as wave after wave of terror and agony swept through their bonds.

Padawan Rey screaming for help, and she seemed unable to feel them because she called out louder in desperation.

And then, the bond seemed to cut off.

Dooku reached out, sensing both Qui-Gon and Padawan Kenobi, but the link to the youngest, had gone completely silent.

* * *

Some Minutes Earlier on Coruscant

* * *

_It's safe, it's safe_, she kept repeating to herself even as she tugged on the Force like a child might hold a parent's hand.

She was walking back from the archives to Obi-Wan's room and she wanted to run despite the Force giving her no warnings, despite knowing she was alone this hallway.

After months of living here, she had come to hate it.

Around Master Jinn and Obi-Wan she was fine, but she still didn't like the Temple. She couldn't explain why, other than a sickness she felt in the walls, in the stone beneath her feet. Neither had she come to appreciate the city, though she had only ventured out into it once with Obi-Wan so they could get new clothes.

She still wore tight fitting pants and variant of the top she always wore with slightly more durable fabric. But in addition to her arm wraps, she now had an outer layer robe as everyone else seemed to. Obi-Wan had finally gotten her to admit that she found the average temperature here chill even after having somewhat adapted. Practising she could do without, but when just walking around, the extra layer helped.

Obi-Wan had bought the robe her hand had rested too long on, instead of brown or tan, she wore a dove grey.

It had cost more than she had made on her entire time on Jakku and Obi-Wan had thought nothing of it.

Tonight she huddled in the soft material. Tomorrow was their off day so she thought staying at the archives late wouldn't be a problem.

But she regretted it now, even if the Force made no warning, she regretted her choice.

She hated this Temple. Not her life here, not the people, and certainly not the food, but she wished they could go elsewhere.

She never thought she would ever come to miss Jakku.

A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she wavered on her feet, catching herself against the wall.

This time the Force did call a warning as everything around her dimmed, her clothes blackening as she began to turn, seeing a dark figure immerge from the now shadowed hallway.

She felt it coming, but for the life of her, she couldn't move, her body seeming to have a mind of its own as she braced for the blow.

A fist smashed into her cheek, her attacker wearing metal studded gloves.

The pain was red hot and she fell to the floor, certain something in her cheek was broken.

Again, she felt through the Force the next hit coming as a steel toed boot kicked her in the gut.

She tried to scream, she tried to get to her feet and run, she drew on the Force to try and blow the attacker back, his face hidden under a black hood.

But she was unable to do anything, as she curled around herself, taking kick after kick.

Dark emotions that were somehow separate from her own pressed against and swirled in her mind.

Why couldn't she move?

She had taken a beating before, but nothing like this. Confused and pain filled, she couldn't think.

The panic didn't truly hit her until that black figure kicked her in the back over her kidneys.

He was going to kill her, if she didn't act _now_ she was going to die like this. Alone and cold and bleeding in the shadows.

She reached out to the Force, reached for Obi-Wan and Master Jinn to save her.

Another blow to her back, and she felt one of her floating ribs break.

"Yessss," the man crooned, speaking for the first time. Laughing at her, he continued, "Feel it, let the pain fuel your hatred, your _power._"

This person was insane, and instead of Master Jinn or Obi-Wan, all she found was a building hatred that was somehow drawing power from the Force. As if the pain were truly power that grew as she let herself be beaten.

Her panic mounting as the Force for the first time failed her, she retreated inward. Away from her spilled blood on the stone floor, away from the man hurting her, away from her own body that refused to obey her.

Away from the Force through which she could reach neither Master nor friend.

Retreated, until-

It stopped.

All sensation.

Her attack, her sight, all sense of time or baring, gone.

Somehow she had managed to cut herself off from the Force entirely.

And it was worse than the beating, worse than the fear of death, it was a worse than any hell she could have imagined.

* * *

Obi-Wan had been enjoying a rather nice evening with Jupe and Prie who were good naturally digging at him for being a 'super' Jedi. Apparently Rey and he were clocking more hours in the training rooms than any Padawan or Master they could name in recent years.

Prie caught him around the waist when he nearly fell to the ground as pain lanced through him. He let out a sharp cry as another wave of pain hit him through the bond and then the pain was constant.

It was nauseating but he pushed past both his friends, ignoring their questions as he sprinted from the Padawan hall.

He knew Rey had been in the archives and he couldn't think what might have happened to her.

He felt her cry for help, and he reached out to reassure her, but felt something- _someone_ foreign in her place. His reassurances couldn't reach her as he ran through the halls.

He almost collapsed to his knees when he felt the connection drop, no pain, no nothing.

_Is she dead!? Rey!?_

No answer came, but he felt his Master's panic, and more distantly Master Dooku's concern.

She was either at the archives or returning from the archives.

He had to believe that's where she would be, he felt Qui-Gon skim his mind and change course to take a more direct route to where Obi-Wan thought she might have been.

_Please don't be dead. -Please- please don't be dead! _He begged the Force.

His heart nearly fell from his chest when he saw a figure curled on the ground. He covered that short distance with pull on the Force in half a moment.

"Rey, Rey, Rey-" he kept saying.

She was curled in a tight ball, her limbs locked in an unnatural position, her fingers curled in a frighteningly stiff and ugly gesture.

She was dead.

His world seemed to die in that heartbeat.

But then he saw the flicking of her eyes under her closed lids, the muscle tremors in her locked form.

Something terrible had happened, he couldn't feel her at all in the Force, she was a void. But she was alive.

Gently, he laid two fingers to the pulse in her neck, it was racing, but strong.

Qui-Gon rounded the corner and let out a sound that Obi-Wan would never forget, his face a mask of denial and pain.

"She's alive," Obi-Wan said in a hoarse voice.

Qui-Gon dropped to his side, reaching out to her pulse as well. "Search the area," he ordered.

Obi-Wan shook himself, getting to his feet and gazed around them for the first time. They were in an empty hallway. There was nothing to be found.

Carefully, Qui-Gon pulled Rey into his arms. Her position didn't change, her hands, arms, and legs remained in that disturbingly rigid position, as if she really was dead and had been petrified into rigamortis.

Obi-Wan swallowed hard, fear a terrible taste on the back of his tongue. "Why can't I feel her?" he asked.

Qui-Gon didn't answer as he began to run with Rey cradled in his arm to the medical wing. He used the Force to soften his steps so he wasn't jostling her.

Obi-Wan followed, leaving the benign hallway behind them.

He had been telling her for months, since the day she arrived, that she was safe in the Temple.

Apparently, he had been wrong.

* * *

Qui-Gon sat on a small bench with Obi-Wan pressed to his side in a small med room. Rey was asleep on a caught with an IV and heart monitor.

Qui-Gon was developing a fondness for that monitor, as it was telling him his Padawan was indeed alive, despite the fact that he still couldn't feel her.

The healer had given her a muscle relaxant and sleeping aid.

Apparently, Rey had suffered a rather severe seizure.

Which might have explained the pain and fear, _might have_, but did not explain why they could no longer feel her through the bond.

Obi-Wan was holding her hand and hadn't spoken since the healer told them Rey would be alright.

Mace and Yoda's presence was why they were sharing the bench. The room was cramped, and the silence between them all oppressive.

The sleeping aid would be wearing off sooner or later, and they would have no answers until Rey herself woke.

Yoda had expressed his opinion that she had a vision, but even the little Grand Master could not explain why the Force couldn't reach her.

Mace crossed his arms, breaking the silence, "Perhaps we should leave and let her sleep."

"Yes, perhaps you should both leave," Qui-Gon said, his voice harder than he meant it to be.

"Fear, you must not," Yoda chastized.

Qui-Gon didn't acknowledge this, he wasn't falling to the Dark Side but nor would he be able to settle until Rey woke up, her brightness chasing away the shadows in the room.

A knock came at the door, and Qui-Gon realized how upset he truly was to not have sensed who entered next.

How long had Rey been asleep?

"Qui-Gon," Dooku greeted.

When he finally found his words, he could only ask, "You came?"

Dooku nodded, "I did, and I see my fears have been proved -thankfully so- incorrect. She's alive."

Qui-Gon looked back at his youngest charge, still breathing, then to the heart monitor, still alive. "Yes," he said, voice not his own, "The healer said she had a vision that caused a seizure, she will recover."

Sifo Dyas entered the room behind Dooku, claiming the only free seat beside Mace. "Poor girl, always more of a curse than a gift, foresight."

Qui-Gon focused on him, realizing that here was the most gifted, the most _cursed_ Jedi currently in the Order, "I can't feel her in the Force. Is that normal?"

Sifo-Dyas made a pained face, looking at Rey with sadness, "That is one way to stop a vision, yes, but no, not normal as such. I would rather witness the Apocalypse then cut myself off from the Force mid-vision. Is this her first vision you know of?"

Qui-Gon nodded, "Yes, and she hasn't yet learned how to shield herself with the Force, could she really have cut herself off instinctually?"

"She couldn't hear me."

They all turned to Obi-Wan who spoke for the first time in hours.

"What was that, Padawan Kenobi?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

"She couldn't feel us through the Force. She reached out through our Master and Apprentice bond but when I reached back for her, she didn't- it wasn't her. I felt someone else's aura and I couldn't communicate with her or -him, I think, it was a he at least. Then the bond cut off completely."

"That's odd," Sifo-Dyas said, "What did you feel from this other aura?"

"Pain, hatred, it was separate somehow from Rey's pain and fear, though she was feeling what he felt, and that we felt through the bond."

Sifo-Dyas frowned, "I don't- I have had thousands of visions, as Dooku can attest, throughout my life, they have caused me trauma, physical pain from the strain, headaches, or seizures, but what you're describing is her experiencing someone else's attack. That is odd."

"We won't have more answers until she wakes, it is pointless to speculate until then," Mace remarked.

Dooku gave him a scathing look, "As always Master Windu, so self assured."

Yoda tapped his cane down, gazing up at his old Padawan, but he addressed Sifo-Dyas. "Help you, Master Dooku has, Master Sifo-Dyas. Now help Master Jinn, Master Dooku will."

Sifo-Dyas scowled at the green troll, not quite as expressively, Dooku did as well, correcting his Master, "Count, not Master, Master Yoda."

"Hmmm…." Yoda hummed thoughtfully, "Yet here you are, and here we are. Master and Count are you."

Dooku laughed, his voice scathing as he asked, "And would you ask me to choose, Master? I have already made that choice."

"Master here you are, remain Count here will you."

A silence filled the room, aside from the soft beep of Rey's steady heartbeat.

"Are you offering him a position back in the Order without his surrounding his title?" Mace asked.

"Regretted Dooku's leaving the order, have I. Failed you, I did. Fail again, I will not. Serreno under Jedi jurisdiction, as the Temple is. Master Dooku account for the planet, he will."

Qui-Gon had never seen his Master taken so off guard, he was staring at Yoda uncomprehendingly.

"You can't do that," Mace protested, "We would need a full Council vote. No Jedi has been able to hold a political office and remain in the Order."

"He has my vote," Sifo-Dyas said, his eyes filled with mirth.

"Cannot, my Padawan?" Yoda asked, "No Jedi was there that could practice both Dark and Light side, yet this you did, Padawan Windu. Against my wish, you did this. Master Dooku Jedi and Count, he will be. Turn away our own when lost they should not be, we will not."

They all looked up at Dooku who stood dumbfounded by the door with nowhere to sit, even Obi-Wan who was still holding Rey's hand.

"I suppose…" Dooku began, meeting Qui-Gon's hopeful gaze. He sighed, "I suppose if the Force wills it, I can return if I am given the freedom to speak my mind."

Mace scoffed and Sifo-Dyas snorted. Qui-Gone himself couldn't help but smile as he shook his head.

"Padawan mine," Yoda said, "Speak your mind, always have you, always will you."

The tension in the small room seemed to be vastly lighter, this is when Rey seemed to rouse from her slumber.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan gasped, as the bond snapped open, her presence in the Force dialling completely open.

Distantly he heard Dooku curse, the only one among them who hadn't felt the full weight of Ray's presence. He muttered to Yoda, "How can she possibly be as strong as you, Master?"

"Hmm…" the troll said, "Perhaps stronger, she will be, but many, many decades until she knows what she is doing, take will she."

Rey's eyes flashed open, and fear consumed her, she came out of the bed fighting, and Obi-Wan caught her, before she landed face first on the floor, the muscle relaxants were apparently quite strong because her movements were slow and graceless.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon tried settling her back onto the cot, but she wouldn't let go of Obi-Wan who ended up just joining her on the low thin mattress. It creaked in protest, but managed.

"Rey," Qui-Gon called to her, "Rey, you are safe, don't pull on the IV, you had a seizure. We are in the medical wing of the Temple on Coruscant."

"I'm not dead," she said, sounding surprised by this.

Qui-Gon's heart jolted at the remark, and he had to take a steadying breath and funnel some of his fear to Force before he could speak.

_She didn't expect to wake up,_ it was Obi-Wan's thought and he seemed heartbroken at the idea.

"You're safe now," Qui-Gon said, "The healer said you'll have no permit injuries, but we will have to take it easy the next week or so."

The arm she wasn't using to cling to Obi-Wan, she raised to her face, "They fixed my cheek. I didn't know they could fix an injury like that so quickly."

Qui-Gon reached out to her cheek, "You had no injury here, Padawan mine."

"But he broke it."

"Who broke it?" he asked, pulling his hand back so he had a clear view of both her hazel eyes.

"The man in the hall."

Sifo-Dyas sat forward in his seat, "You saw a man in your vision?"

"Vision?" she asked, then before he could respond, "You're one of the Council, right?" She took stock of the room's occupants. She stopped on Dooku, "Master Dooku?"

Dooku smiled at her, "Greetings, Padawan Rey, it is an honour to meet you and Padawan Kenobi in person."

Sifo-Dyas interrupted, "Padawan Rey, who did you see in your vision?"

She turned her attention back to them with a frown, "A man dressed in black, hooded so I couldn't make out his face."

"And what did he do, what was he saying?"

"He beat me."

"Beat you?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

She nodded, "I tried running, I felt the hits coming, but I couldn't- I couldn't act. I wasn't in control of my body. I couldn't run, I couldn't fight and it was like my connection to the Force had been hijacked, I couldn't reach Master Jinn or Obi-Wan."

"Cut yourself off from the Force, you did, but feel them now, you do," Yoda stated.

She nodded, pressing herself against Obi-Wan's side, who had an arm around her shoulder, "That was worse than the beating, but the man stopped, or I couldn't feel it after I did that. I thought he was going to kill me, he broke my ribs, and kept kicking at my Kidneys. He told me to use my pain to fuel my power. And it was like the Force changed from… I don't know but it was useless to me because I couldn't fight him."

Qui-Gon asked because as her Master, he had to ask, "And were you tempted by the power?"

She gave him an affronted look, "No, it was weak, made weaker by the fact that the man seemed to think I had to be half dead in order reach it. It was…" she searched for a word, "nonsensical."

Qui-Gon stared at her, that had not been his reaction to feeling the Dark Side of the Force.

Mace was shaking his head, "Is anything about you normal, Padawan Rey?"

She turned to face him, "What do you mean?"

"Someone offered you raw power, hurt you, made you afraid, and your reaction was to turn from the Force completely."

She frowned at him, "He was killing me."

"And that didn't make you angry?"

She thought about it, "I- I felt anger… but I don't think it was my anger."

"Didn't you want to fight?"

"Yes, but I wanted to run more."

Mace frowned, "You didn't strike me as a cowardly woman, Padawan Rey."

Qui-Gon glared at him, "Watch yourself, Windu."

Rey was glaring at the man as well, "I'm sorry my reaction wasn't to become homicidal when someone was beating me up while I was unable to control my own body, emotions, or reach the Force correctly."

Sifo-Dyas was frowning deeply at her in thought, "It wasn't foresight. I've never been trapped in someone else's body in any of my visions. Psychometry perhaps."

Dooku took a seat by Qui-Gon, "That's not much better."

Qui-Gon sighed, "This means we will be contacting Quinlan Vos, doesn't it?"

Mace put his fingers to the side of his head, in a gesture of defeat, "Yes, because gathering the most Maverick Jedi together is going end well for all parties involved."

"Hmm…" Yoda hummed, "As the Force wills it."

Rey was looking between them all, "Who is Quinlan Vos and what is psychometry?"

"Master Vos is a wildling," Dooku said, "Psychometry is the extremely rare ability to see into the history of an object, and even rarer, the possible future that object is destined for. Master Vos will be able to give you first hand accounts."

Sifo-Dyas added, "It's why you experienced a vision from the perspective of another person. I have the ability of foresight, I can witness the future, sometimes the past, but I don't experience it from anyones view but my own. That's why you were trapped, why Padawan Kenobi said he felt someone foreign through the bond and was unable to reach you, despite both he and your Master feeling your pain and call for help."

"Oh," she said, "But then- I don't think I touched anything."

"No?" Yoda asked.

"I felt dizzy, I think, but I was psyching myself out walking back from the archives alone. But I guess I touched the wall right before the… the vision started. Are all visions so real?"

"They tend to be," Sifo-Dyas admitted, "it is hard at first when the ability appears out of dreams. It helps once you can recognize it is a vision and not really happening. Of course, I can only speak for myself, Quinlan may have an entirely different experience."

"Afraid, you were, before the vision?" Yoda asked.

"Yes," she said without guile. Qui-Gon had been hesitant to beat the mantra of don't be afraid into her mind, thinking at her age it might do more harm than good. He had done his best to show her that fear was a distraction, to rely on the Force rather than her emotions.

But he couldn't help but wince when all the Master in the room stared at him, he could almost hear them asking, _What have you been teaching her?_

Yoda asked Rey, "What fear you, Padawan? Being alone?"

She laughed, the sound breaking the tension as surely as her words plummeted it, "Of course not. Well, I mean, I am afraid of being alone here, but not of being lonely. I hate this Temple."

Qui-Gon shared a sharp look with Obi-Wan who returned that look, they had thought she was settling. This didn't bode well, not at all.

"Hate leads to the Dark Side," Yoda reprimanded.

"What?" Rey asked, not comprehending his words but understanding he was chastising her.

Mace repeated, "Hatred leads to the Dark Side, Padawan Rey, Master Jinn surely must have taught you that."

Rey looked at Qui-Gon, "Wait, I'm not allowed to dislike things?"

He sighed, "No, they mean strong emotions, like hatred, can push you toward the Dark Side."

"Oh," she said, "Both Master Jinn and Obi-Wan _did_ tell me that. I don't mean I hate the Temple as such- I don't loathe it, it's just- creepy. And I can't shake the feeling the walls are…"

"Are what?" Mace asked.

She shook her head, and winced, rolling her shoulders at some pain, "I don't know how to put into words. The Force doesn't seem to think it is bad, but it feels… the Temple feels sick, like it has a disease or something like it."

Everyone went quiet trying to feel what she was describing. Qui-Gon reached out to the Force, trying to identify some wrongness in the space around them or the foundation below them…

But it just felt normal, no different than it ever had.

"I do not feel anything wrong with the Temple," Mace stated.

Dooku tapped his fingers against his knees, leaning forward, "But we wouldn't, would we? All of us, excluding Padawan Rey, were raised here. She is one of the strongest Force sensitives to enter the Temple and not be of the Temple. My dear, are you unhappy with your life here?"

"No," she said at once, "I love my life here. I just don't like the Temple."

"What about the city?"

"I'm not a city person, but I've been so busy there hasn't been much time to explore it."

Sifo-Dyas crossed his arms, "What is the history of the Temple-"

The healer came in then, she gazed around the room with raised brows, "Is there a Council meeting gathering in my ward that I was uninformed of, or this a reunion of some sort?"

Qui-Gon couldn't blame her reaction, it was an awfully small space for so many -_personalities._

Mace made to respond, but the Healer waved him off, "Her Master and Padawan Kenobi may stay, but the rest of you must leave, drugged sleep is not true rest. And I think our young Padawan has quite enough excitement for the evening."

Everyone who wasn't Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood and bowed to the healer, even Master Yoda.

They filed out, Dooku was last to go, and Qui-Gon called, "Thank you, Master, for being here."

Dooku stared at him with unfathomable eyes, "I will make them hear you, Padawan mine. If the Jedi are willing to change then I will do what I can, even if the odds are against us."

He left leaving a comfortable silence behind them.

Obi-Wan let out a long sigh, "That was stressful, I didn't think they would ever leave."

"Did I insult them?" Rey asked.

Qui-Gon huffed a laugh, "I hope so."

"_Master,_" Obi-Wan warned him.

Qui-Gon smiled, then touched Rey's leg, "The Healer is right, Padawan. You should get some sleep."

"Am I going to have seizures all of the time? When I woke up my body felt like jelly, but now -everything aches."

"I do not believe so, and if it psychometry Vos will be able to tell us more."

"Alright," she said, a bit more dazedly.

He smiled, "Get some sleep, both of you. I'll keep watch."

Obi-Wan helped her adjust and they settled into the cot. As Qui-Gon pulled a sheet over them both, Obi-Wan asked through the bond, _Will we be able to protect her from this?_

Qui-Gon felt his mouth thin, and he said aloud, "We'll have to be careful, my Padawans, what items you hold, weapons especailly from here on out."

Rey didn't respond as she relaxed against Obi-Wan's side.

_I take that as a no._

_All we can do is the best we can do to the best of our knowledge, Obi-Wan._

Obi-Wan pressed his cheek to the top of Rey's head, _It makes me angry that someone beat her, that she exprienced that._

_As it does to me, my Padawan, but we must trust that there was a reason the Force showed her that vision._

They were silent for a long time, when Obi-Wan asked, _Do you think they're right about the Temple, her and Master Dooku?_

_I don't know._

_You're happy Master Dooku is back._

_I'm relieved, I had thought... We've been estranged for some time now. If Rael wasn't going to love Rey before, he will surely love her now._

Obi-Wan smiled, closing his eyes, _Rael loves just about anything that brings chaos to the Jedi Council. He makes you look like a proper Jedi._

Qui-Gon's lips quirked, _One day, Obi-Wan you might just find yourself causing more chaos than any of us, Rey included._

Obi-Wan scoffed, opening his eyes briefly to glare at him, but there was too much mirth in his blue gaze to truly mean it.

Qui-Gon watched over his Padawans as they slept the night away.

'_Will we be able to protect her from this?'_ Obi-Wan had asked him.

He was their Master, he was meant to protect them.

'_I hate the Temple.'_

He sighed, having no satisfactory answer.

* * *

"Apprentice," Darth Sidious called to him.

Darth Maul who had been practicing his forms, turned to his Master expectantly.

"I have a task for you."

He waited.

"The problem you identified on Naboo, I need you to uncover all you can about her. And if she leaves the stronghold of that Temple, I wish you to shadow her."

Maul narrowed his eyes, "Kill her, you mean."

He was so sick of waiting, of hiding. He wanted revenge on the Jedi, for all that they had done to the Sith and those in the galaxy.

"No, we need her."

Maul cocked his head, not liking the sound of that, "Shadowing her might be dangerous, she nearly spotted me the last time."

"I will approach her as best I can, but I know to well those who guard her, and they will take note of my attention. But let her see you, however, do not reveal yourself as anything more than a Force Sensitive."

He bared his teeth in a silent snarl, "Why?"

"Because she will become your apprentice."

Maul felt his mind go blank.

His Master was replacing him?

"Training an apprentice will give you strength, I've taught you all I can," Darth Sidious crooned.

Darth Maul didn't believe that, not for a moment. He respected his Master, but respect and fear was not the same thing as trust.

If his Master had taught him everything than surely he would have been able to defeat him, even in one sparring match.

But he couldn't, and he would not allow some scavenger girl to replace him. He couldn't imagine what someone like her would become if trained as a Sith.

And then an idea struck him. Darth Maul wasn't powerful enough to kill his Master, but with training… this girl could be the key.

His Master believed in the Rule of Two, Darth Maul wasn't convinced of it. But he was more than happy to let his Master die by the Rule of Two. Darth Maul would train his apprentice to be loyal to him, not the idea of the Sith. That way he wouldn't have to worry about whether or not the girl was more powerful than he was.

She would be grateful for the power he gave her.

"Apprentice? Do you understand me?"

Darth Maul bowed low.

This meant he would have to move to Coruscant for longer stay. Not such a hardship, there were so many peoples there that one Zabrak would not stand out overly much.

He just needed to find a way to seduce the girl out from under the chokehold of the Jedi. It shouldn't be too hard, she was too old to truly be brainwashed by the Jedi.

Besides the call to the Darkness was always stronger than to the Light.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, ideas, wishes, or unprepared Zabraks? Pretty, pretty, please?


	7. Ridiculous Acrobatics

Chapter 7 - Ridiculous Acrobatics

Rey recovered well enough after her vision. They spent most of that week swimming.

Qui-Gon was the best at it, having learned from Rael years ago. Aside from racing one another, Obi-Wan and Rey found themselves dragging each other through water. He played the proper victim, muttering about the sea creatures after them as he pretended to swoon. Causing Rey to sometimes half drown them as she laughed and tried to ask about said aquatic nightmares.

Obi-Wan found himself much more protective of Rey than he ever had been for anyway before.

He was quite used to dealing with his own anger and fear when he was younger. But that had been personal fear, something he had a certain extent of control over, being able to weigh the risks and move on.

But he couldn't guard Rey at all times. He wouldn't always be there for her, and that idea was terrifying.

Months later, and he was still having nightmares of her body motionless, left in the dark. Her curled fingers reaching out to him for help.

"Go ahead, Rey," Qui-Gon said one evening, "Obi-Wan and I have some topics to go over."

She bowed, "Good night, Master Jinn. See you, Obi-Wan."

When she had gone, the door closed behind her, he asked his Master, "She didn't look scared, did she?"

Qui-Gon didn't answer this, instead, he said, "Go make us a pot of tea."

Obi-Wan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He did as he was told without protest.

Qui-Gon took a seat and waited in a meditative silence for him to finish his task. The familiar activity put Obi-Wan at ease, by the time had poured the hot water into the teapot, let the tea steep, pour a cup of tea for first his Master and then himself, did Obi-Wan feel himself again.

A bit chagrined, he asked, "I shouldn't have asked that. I've been worrying too much lately."

Qui-Gon took a sip of his tea savouring it for a few moments before he answered, "She continues to dislike the Temple, as well as Coruscant, but no, I do not believe she is afraid. The visions she has seemed to accept as part of the price for becoming a Jedi. Though thankfully, so far there has only been the one vision."

Obi-Wan was dreading the next. He researched what one was supposed to one someone was having a seizure, the only answer was to make sure they didn't fall hard if you were there to catch them and make sure there was nothing around that could hurt them. He didn't know what they would do if-

"Master Quinlan Vos will be returning to the Temple in the next month or so after he's completed his latest assignment. Once he clears her, we will be going back on missions, Obi-Wan."

He bristled, "She's not-"

"Rey is more than ready, you are the one who isn't."

"She doesn't have a lightsaber."

"She hardly needs one, they aren't sending us after rogues. Besides, I was thinking of starting her with one soon. On the field, however, her staff and telekinesis will be far more useful to us all. And as I remember from Naboo, she was not too bad with a blaster either."

Obi-Wan sipped his tea, trying to give his emotions to the Force.

_There is no emotions, there is peace._

But the Code had been failing him of late and apparently his Master had noticed, because he said, "Your attachment to Rey has been distracting you, Padawan."

He flinched, did Qui-Gon have to phrase it like that? As if Obi-Wan wasn't already aware of his own failings.

"Tell me what you are afraid of?"

He kept his eyes on the tea in the little blue cup, "Her getting hurt."

"She will," Qui-Gon stated matter of factly.

Obi-Wan looked up sharply, "What?"

His Master repeated, "She will get hurt. She will experience pain and loss and failure, and one day, she will die. As will I. As will everyone you have ever known. This is enviable."

Obi-Wan's heart felt heavy in his chest, his Master wasn't usually so harsh. He bowed his head, "I know, Master. I'll do better."

"I asked you to talk to me, Obi-Wan. I didn't say you were doing poorly."

"You said I was being distracted by my attachment to Rey," he said and felt his cheeks redden as _he_ heard what he had said. "I don't mean- I don't see her like _that_."

Qui-Gon chuckled, "I know. I wouldn't be letting the two of you share a room if I suspected anything else between you. She continues to be an oddity. Not many women raised outside this Temple could have assumed a role here as well as she has. But what I meant is you becoming overly protective. I am not training you both to your limits for you to be afraid so."

Again, Obi-Wan felt as criticism like a blow. He always had been able to follow the Code, or at least better than Qui-Gon made the effort to, so why couldn't he handle his emotions now?

"It doesn't get easier, you know."

Obi-Wan brought his gaze back up, "What?"

"Having a Padawan, having the responsibility of another person, it doesn't get easier. Especially as your next apprentice will be far younger than Rey, and more than likely not as strong. Rey is already an adult, she has already had trials, and to a large degree, she knows how to handle herself in a battle. This will not be so for your next Padawan."

For a moment, Obi-Wan felt sick. "I don't know if I can-"

"Answer me this, Padawan, which is worse, having an attachment to another living being that causes you fear, or refusing an attachment because you are afraid of caring for them?"

"I know you mean the latter, but both are wrong. I shouldn't be afraid."

"Of course you should be, what you should not do is let that fear cloud your actions, your motives. Acting on fear will lead to mistakes, mistakes will lead to anger and so and so forth."

"Did you just make that up?"

"I'm a Master, it is my prerogative to make things up."

Obi-Wan huffed a laugh.

"Do you remember the incident with the shifting earth and the log?"

Obi-Wan quirked a smile, "How could forget?"

"I have rarely been so afraid in all my life as when I saw you clinging to that log, blaster fire raining down on us, and do you remember what you said to me?"

He frowned, "Save yourself?"

"I didn't deserve you, Obi-Wan, I still don't. At the time, if I am remembering correctly, you believed I doubted you, when it was myself I doubted. I doubted my ability to teach you, to help you to grow into the Jedi Knight you were already becoming. And there you were, brave and completely selfless, on the edge of being buried alive and you didn't call for help, you told me to save myself. I don't think you understand how proud I am to be your Master, how you have humbled me over the years."

Obi-Wan didn't know what to say to that. His heart was twisting in his chest, because that had been so long ago and those words meant to him now.

Qui-Gon went on, "To experience fear is to be alive. We are not droids, though sometimes I think even a few of them are half sentient. Even plants can experience fear and pain."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile at this, a smile that left him at his Master's next question.

"Have you been meditating on the Code lately?"

"Yes, Master."

"And yet you have been unsuccessful in banishing your emotions."

Obi-Wan swallowed hard. Over his apprenticeship with Qui-Gon, he had often wished his Master was less of maverick. Obi-Wan was the one to lecture _him_ about the Code. Now for once, the shoe was on the correct foot and Obi-Wan found being on the receiving end less than comfortable.

Sometimes karma had a vindictive sense of humour.

"No, Master."

"_There is no emotion, there is peace. _A sound resolve, but impossible in its practical use. Do you know what the Code was originally?"

The original Jedi Code?

"No, I thought that was the original."

"No, subtlety different, but to my preference, the original Code is in some ways more reasonable and yet a harder line to walk," he said before reciting:

"_Emotion, yet peace._

_Ignorance, yet knowledge._

_Passion, yet serenity._

_Chaos, yet harmony._

_Death, yet the Force_."

Obi-Wan was silent for a long time after that, trying to think through all the ramifications of the small changes. It was essentially acknowledging both sides with a preference for, as his Master had said, the harder path. A path made somehow less daunting if one didn't have to completely banish what he had been raised to be bad.

He especially liked the idea of _Ignorance, yet knowledge._ Because he had always felt a bit ignorant, there was too much in the galaxy for any single person to have enough knowledge for there to be _no ignorance_.

Qui-Gon stood to prepare a second pot of hot tea.

As he sat down to refill each of their cups, he said, "As you have not chastised me for going against the Council's teachings, may I be so bold as to assume you see the benefits of this version of the Code?"

"Maybe, but isn't no fear… I mean how are you supposed to be at peace while being afraid? To be fearful means you are not at peace."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Perhaps what it means is not that we hold onto our fears but deal with them, so that we might be at peace with them."

Obi-Wan had more questions than answers, but somehow this Code was a light in the darkness where he had been blindly trying to keep the demons at bay. "Why did they change the Code?"

"Because it is notoriously hard to teach. Much easier to shove down your problems then process all the complexities of emotions and passions, or the ramifications of chaos and death. Much easier to avoid attachment than accommodate for the moral issues one faces when doing what is right for their loved ones and what might possibly be right for the larger galaxy.

"Which brings us back to your attachment to Rey, her inevitable death, my inevitable death, and your inevitable death."

Obi-Wan sipped his tea, Qui-Gon wasn't holding back tonight it seemed.

"Xanatos I failed-"

"He failed you," Obi-Wan interrupted, knowing his Master's view on this.

Qui-Gon shook his head, "No, my apprentice, I failed him. I failed to give him the guidance he needed to overcome his fears and passions. Just as after Tahl's death, and again after Xanatos's demise, I failed my first apprentice, Feemor."

Obi-Wan froze, both because his Master had said Tahl's name and because Obi-Wan hadn't known about Feemor.

"In my grief for Tahl, I nearly succumbed to the Dark Side, and in my personal struggles, I failed to help Feemor through his own feelings in losing her. I failed Xanatos in not being fully attentive to his building aggression and selfishness. When Xanatos fell to the Dark Side, I said many things that I now regret. And among those things, Feemor, as well as the Order itself, took my meaning as my dismissal of Feemor having ever been my apprentice.

"What I meant to say was that Xanatos was my first failure, proof of my failings as a Master and that I was not deserving of the title. Feemor interrupted that as my rejecting him, and I was too prideful to make a large enough effort to correct that misconception. I thought such a conclusion was so obviously wrong that no one would believe it, especially not Feemor. But I was wrong. He did take it to heart and I have not crossed paths with him since before I took you as my Padawan. I believe even you know Xanatos as my first apprentice, not Feemor who has done everything in his power to keep away from me."

"You miss him."

"More than I can say, Obi-Wan, more than I can say."

"With Tahl, did you r- I'm sorry, Qui-Gon that's not my-"

"Ask."

Taking in a deep breath, he asked, "Do you regret falling in love with her?"

Something like a smile shadowed his lips, "I'm not sure, Padawan mine, if falling in love is a choice. But if you're asking if I regret pursuing those feelings, then no, I do not regret having loved Tahl."

"But you said yourself, what happened to her almost led you to the Dark Side."

"And she is who led me back to the Light."

"I don't understand."

"Her loss was nearly my undoing. But had I not known such loss I would not have been able to understand others as I have come to. True compassion comes from the capacity to empathize with another's pain."

"_Emotions, yet peace_."

Qui-Gon nodded, "We are only human, pain is only natural. Love, passion, compassion are gifts, but nothing lasts forever. _Death, yet the Force._ Confront your fear, Obi-Wan, feel your emotions, but let them return to the Force as all things are destined to."

Obi-Wan nodded, not understanding yet, but for the first time in weeks, maybe months, having a direction. He couldn't suppress his feelings, he had been trying and failing for quite some time now, but perhaps he could be brave like Qui-Gon.

He had loved and lost Tahl, but here he was sipping tea, remaining a humble servant to the Light.

Obi-Wan finished his tea.

"Meditate on this tonight, Padawan, but do try to get some sleep."

He stood and bowed, "Good night, Qui-Gon, and thank you."

"Remember, Obi-Wan, you cannot let go of what you do not understand you are holding onto."

"Yes, Master," he said with a great fondness.

Everyone kept telling him he was ready to be knighted. But personally, he was happy to still be his Master's Padawan.

oOo

The next morning, Obi-Wan found himself on the training mats, not with Rey but Master Dooku.

Rey was on the sidelines with Masters Yoda, Mace, and Sifo-Dyas. Qui-Gon was currently on the mats giving them instructions.

Dooku's return to the Order had not been a… _peaceful_ affair. Especially when Master Yoda voted that Dooku should become a Council member while the rest of the Council, aside from Mace and Sifo-Dyas, were still debating whether or not Yoda was right to invite Dooku back into the Order while keeping his title as Count of Serreno.

So far Dooku had no official invitation onto the Council and he seemed to be on some type of probation.

In any case, no one had yet let him train the initiates or send him out on any missions. Today would be the first time he was even allowed in the training rooms.

Obi-Wan was equal parts as nervous as excited.

It was good to have a lightsaber in his hands again. With all the training he had been doing, there had been little time for extra training.

But his worries were quickly assuaged once he held the hilt in his hands. A life time of training did not diminish in a few short months. His lightsaber felt like the final piece to a dance he had been practising for months.

"Obi-Wan, I want you to rely mostly on Soresu. As Yoda taught Dooku and Dooku me, what you know of Ataru isn't going to serve you much better than learning to work through Soresu movements during a duel with him."

"Oh, good, I will not have to entertain humans pretending to be bats today," Dooku said drily, the comment directed more at Qui-Gon than himself.

Qui-Gon shook his head, "Yes, no 'ridiculous flipping' today."

Obi-Wan suppressed a laugh.

Dooku eyed him, "You think that is funny, Padawan Kenobi?"

A part of Obi-Wan quailed at the tone and the look, Qui-Gon had warned him that part of Dooku's fighting style was mockery and weakening his opponent's mental state.

He seemed to have a natural talent for it.

But Obi-Wan didn't let that show, calling on the Force to fill him and take away the intimation, the Force came easily, especially with Rey in the room. Around her, his connection to the Force felt heightened. He said, "Not funny exactly, I've just spent most of my mornings doing endless rounds of acrobatics."

Dooku frowned at Qui-Gon, "How long have you been forced to do these bouts of ridiculous acrobatics?"

"Last week they reached five hours without a serious break," Qui-Gon informed him lightly.

Dooku blinked, looking between them, before focusing back on Obi-Wan, "And you have not revolted?"

Obi-Wan grinned, "It's been a lot of fun actually. Rey has all but learned how to fly at this point."

The duelling champion shook his head, "Qui-Gon, if I had done this to you or Rael for months on end, you both would have reported me to the Council."

"My Padawans are perfect Jedi."

"Somehow, student, that will come back to bite you."

"Oh, I have no doubts. Now, _Master_, do you intend to train my senior Padawan or would you like to see Rey's impersonation of a bat."

"You should have learned Form II, Makashi is respectable."

"Makashi was never my style, I have neither the patience nor your sense of grandeur."

"Grandstanding, mean he," Yoda called from the sidelines.

Sifo-Dyas chuckled.

Qui-Gon bowed to them both, before going to lean against the wall with Rey.

"They tell me you are ready for your trials, Padawan Kenobi," Dooku said.

"As they tell me, Master."

Dooku ignited his curved blade, twirling the beam of light until it was brought before him in a centre position. The curved hilt doing interesting things to Dooku's one handed mobility.

"Prove it, _knight,_" the last word was a taunt.

Obi-Wan ignited his own blue saber as well, taking a defensive stance. He said nothing as his heart raced. This was an honour, he knew that but there was something a bit terrifying about Master Dooku.

He let his nervousness go to the Force, pulling on its strength and awareness as Dooku pushed an attack.

Makashi was completely foreign to anything else Obi-Wan had ever learned. There were no wide swipes, but jabs and quick cutting motions.

He was suddenly grateful he had spent almost all of the last year not training with a lightsaber because he was able to tilt his own blade in a deflecting manner that he wouldn't have used a year ago.

Being defensive was easier if you could anticipate your opponent's attacks, but not if what you were anticipating were full sweeps rather than quick slices and retreats.

Lucky for Obi-Wan, Rey had a particular fondness for jabs and Qui-Gon had pushed him to accept no checks, no matter how glancing.

Which against Dooku was ideal, because even a glancing blow from a lightsaber could have done real damage, and the man truly was at Mace Windu's level.

Obi-Wan let the Force guide him, alerting him to all dangers, and enhancing his speed. Theoretically, he shouldn't have needed this much for Soresu, but Dooku was more than his superior in this duel. The extra speed and heightened awareness were all that kept him from an automatic defeat.

"Your connection to the Force is impressive, but can you sustain it?" Dooku drawled, his voice condescending, his own motions were so economic that he was showing no signs of strain. Dooku didn't need to draw on the Force to keep up.

Again, Obi-Wan didn't answer as he began to let the Force tell him where the blades would be and let his gaze drift to Dooku's foot work. It seemed to be the source of his advantage. This was completely different from fighting Qui-Gon.

He hopped to the side of one of Dooku's jabs.

"You are not a bat today, Padawan, keep yourself on the balls of your feet. Yes, stay braced, Soresu is the style of endurance, your only hope to win with it is to wait." He pressed the attack, "You see that my Makashi has superior footwork, adapt, if I move, you must join me."

And just like that, it turned from a duel to a training spar. Dooku losing interest in beating Obi-Wan as he began to correct his every formation. Dooku's knowledge of Form III far exceeded what Qui-Gon had been able to teach him.

* * *

Rey was astounded by Obi-Wan.

She had been sparring and training with him for months, and until now, she hadn't fully appreciated what he was capable of.

Watching Jedi fight droids was far different than watching them fight each other.

Of course, she had been at the Temple long enough to have seen Jedi training and sparring.

But she knew Obi-Wan, and even as he sparred with his full concentration on Master Dooku, she could feel him through the bound.

She felt more than she was seeing.

"Mmmm…" Master Yoda hummed beside her, "much improved, he has. Utilizing the Ataru enhancements with Soresu forms, he is."

"His endurance without the Force is impressive now, he could do this all day," Qui-Gon answered.

"Endurance, patience, yes, these things the Third Form requires, but Soresu itself is not meant to push the body to extremes as it appears he has been."

"No, which is why I've been training them Ataru, the motions of which are incredibly taxing."

"Kenobi might be a candidate for Vaapod if he were interested," Master Windu said thoughtfully.

"No," Master Yoda said, "Rare Masters of Soresu there are now, and too much aggression in Vaapod. Soresu the form of a true Jedi, deter Padawan Kenobi from that path you shall not."

Rey was enjoying the discussion, she hadn't asked many questions about lightsabers, she didn't want Master Jinn to think she was pressuring him to teach her. Especially when she had someone so willing to help her improve with her staff work. No one would have messed with her on Tatooine or Jakku if she could have scaled the ceiling brought her staff down on their heads as she could now.

And though she certainly saw the appeal in the flashy swords, she wasn't sure about how she felt about holding the absolute life and death over another person.

True, she knew how to break someone's spine with her staff, but she would have to either do that intentionally or her opponent would have to be supremely unlucky.

With a lightsaber, the slightest mistake, and it was over, for either wielder or foe.

But she was beginning to change her mind as she watched Obi-Wan. His motions were completely defensive.

She liked that, almost as much as flipping around in a fight.

Through their bond, Rey felt him dodge swipe after swipe from Count Dooku. She could almost feel the Master's steps before he made them.

It was a dance of sorts, and the Force was the music they both created and danced to.

"What do you think, Padawan Rey?"

She looked up to see Master Windu who was watching her carefully, watching her with that look as if he could see through her.

She wondered what he saw, wondered what he found lacking in her.

"I'm sorry, Master Windu, what do I think about what?"

"Which form do you think is superior?"

Apparently, she had missed a large chunk in the conversation. Obi-Wan had explained to her the different forms, and she could only identify a few. She looked back to Master Dooku instructing Obi-Wan through Form III.

Master Dooku was not as gentle a teacher as Master Jinn.

Having no scope to really answer Master Windu but for what Obi-Wan had told her, she asked, "To accomplish what?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean superior in what way? Don't all the forms have weaknesses? Some against other Jedi, some against multiple opponents, or over extended time, or against blasters, or- I mean what is superior?"

"Right questions, you ask," Master Yoda said with a smile, "Wish you were one of mine, I do."

Master Jinn explained, "Master Yoda trains the younglings."

She smiled down at the little green Master who had lived more centuries than she would ever see, "Me too."

It would have been better than Jakku at any rate even if the Temple still made her skin crawl at times.

Master Windu asked, "What form do you imagine yourself pursuing?"

She leaned back against the wall and looked at Master Jinn who said, "I'm teaching you the basics, Padawan, and you'll be studying those basics for a few years until I feel they are ingrained into your being. Don't feel as if you have to choose now, and even if you did, you can change your mind later, as Obi-Wan has changed ftom learning Ataru to Soresu."

Rey made a face, "I like both Ataru and Soresu."

"Because of Kenobi?" Master Windu asked.

She shook her head, "I like the motions of Ataru so far, I like being that in-tuned to the Force and making my entire body into a weapon. But I like how non-aggressive Soresu is." She motioned to the fight, "All he has to do is out last his opponent, it doesn't matter how good his opponent is, everyone tires eventually."

"That's assuming you are the one who does not tire first and do not make a mistake over an extended length of time," Sifo-Dyas remarked.

She shrugged, thinking of the problems she might face that wasn't one of them. Some days she had to slow down to let Obi-Wan catch up to her.

"Arrogance, I sense," Master Yoda chided, "And fear too, think I. Train in lightsabers, you wish not, Padawan Rey."

She shrugged again, looking back at the duel as she sensed the shift. It seemed Master Dooku had felt he taught enough for the morning, because Obi-Wan was now struggling to keep himself safe as he retreated.

She centred herself, evened her own breathing, let her emotions go to the Force as Master Jinn had been teaching her. She felt Obi-Wan anchor himself with her, and he began backing up to force Master Dooku advance.

Force him to keep attacking and eventually, wear himself out.

"What do you fear, Rey?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

She didn't take her gaze off Master Dooku's feet, she had never seen anyone move like that before. "Lightsabers are killing weapons."

She turned to see Master Windu focusing on her, "You're afraid you'll lose control and be motivated to hurt someone?"

She frowned up at him, "No, I'm afraid of having no other option. If I hit someone over the head with my staff, they could be severely injured if I followed through, but a lightsaber could cut through their skull at the moment of contact." There was no heat in her words, her attention was still on Master Dooku and Obi-Wan.

"That is why we train, Padawan, so we don't make those mistakes," Master Windu said.

Master Yoda, however, sided with her, "Well you think, Padawan Rey. Right Qui-Gon has been in your teaching, he has."

"Thank you, Master," Master Jinn said, but he too was watching the fight.

Master Dooku seemed to be slowing ever so slightly, but the music didn't stumble as he did.

_Trap,_ she whispered lightly in Obi-Wan's mind as he spotted an opening.

Obi-Wan held back and they both caught Master Dooku's displeasure when they didn't fall for his faint. He attacked with a renewed veracity.

But Obi-Wan wasn't anywhere close to his limits.

Master Dooku couldn't get a slice in.

"Is Kenobi drawing the Force through you, Padawan Rey?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

She looked at the man, "Not exactly."

"Not exactly?" Master Windu asked, straightening.

"They are connected through battle mediation," Master Jinn explained, "One awareness can strengthen another."

"And distract, it can," Master Yoda noted.

Rey smiled, "Only if you lose track of what you're doing."

Obi-Wan switched for a brief moment to an Ataru formation, swiping past Master Dooku with a vicious slash that nearly had the older Jedi off balance, before Obi-Wan switched immediately back to the defence to catch the returning blows.

They wouldn't be distracted, they were Master Qui-Gon Jinn's students. The Force led them, and the Force wasn't so easily miffed.

The Masters kept talking as Obi-Wan wore Master Dooku down. Finally, the older Jedi called it.

"Alright, little one, Master Soresu you have not, but you're well on your way," Master Dooku said, deactivating his lightsaber and bowing to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was trying not to grin as he returned the bow.

"In a real fight, Padawan Kenobi, there are other things to be aware of than the saber and your opponent's footwork."

"Like what?" Obi-Wan asked, distracted.

Rey felt it before he did, and a moment later Obi-Wan was flung across the mats in a Force push.

He sat on his butt, stunned but unharmed. Rey went to him with a laugh, she ruffled his fuzzy head, "I'll have to remember this one."

Obi-Wan leaned his head back to look up at her as she leaned on his shoulders. He hadn't even worked up a good sweat yet. "You're a pain in the ass, did you know that?"

"Awwe, I was about to compliment you on your fancy dancy saber work, but now I must ask, does your butt hurt that much? I know a few healers now that might help you out."

He huffed at her, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Padawan Rey," Master Dooku called, "Care to have a turn?"

She dug her fingers into Obi-Wan's shoulders, really having no desire to make such a fool of herself. Master Dooku would have his blade at her throat in moments.

But Master Dooku went on, "This room is prepared for Telekinetic practice, I'm told you are quite talented."

Excitement lit her from within, lifting objects was something she could do. Master Jinn hadn't been training her overly so in it, but Obi-Wan had been teaching her little things before bed. She actually thought the smaller things were more difficult than pulling down that carrier. Yes, it took less energy to steal a card from the draw pile, but much more finesse.

Here was finally a chance to really practice.

She tugged on lightly on Obi-Wan's braid just as he did hers time and time again, before joining Master Dooku on the mats.

She felt Master Jinn's attention on her. She felt more than heard his thought, that his Master didn't know what he was in for.

Rey agreed with the sentiment as she watched aristocratic Jedi, clip his saber to his belt. They bowed to each other, and almost the moment they rose, Master Dooku summoned a bag of small pebbles and chucked it at her head.

She sidestepped it easily, stretching out her own senses, finding many such bags large and small throughout the room.

She smiled, holding her hands out to her side, palms up, as if she were orchestrating the wind.

Master Dooku threw sack after sack after her, but she let the Force catch them, let the momentum of those objects get redirected, wrapping in a circle around her.

She imagined the Force was truly a gust of wind swirling around her, and the objects thrown were nothing to the Force.

The Force was infinite.

Large or small, it made no difference in the end, all were of the Force.

She felt Master Dooku's mounting emotions, as he threw something toward her foot, something smaller with a great deal more power behind it.

In answer she let the wind rush around her, her eyes drifted close as she let the Force fill her every sense.

Somehow, this was different than using the Force for strength, she wasn't using the Force to supplement her strength from within, she was manipulating the Force around her.

It was like breathing, or swimming, or crossing the desert at noon. The air, the water, the heat, all of it belonged to the Force, and she belonged to the Force. She wasn't bending the Force to her will, she was letting the Force engulf her.

She gave Master Dooku's sacks back to him, with interest.

She opened her eyes in time to watch his cloak stream behind him as he ran to dodge.

He threw a hand out to her, and she raised a hand to meet that strike.

* * *

Dooku had been highly impressed with Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Perhaps he wasn't a prodigy, but for what genius he may have lacked he made up for with hard work and steadfast focus.

He was a credit to the Order.

And then there was Padawan Rey.

Dooku was not a young man, he had seen many things in his life. He had been trained by Master Yoda himself, for Force's sake, but even his Master had his limitations.

If Rey had them, Dooku couldn't spot them.

She was nothing short of elemental in her powers. And his pride was pricked when she closed her eyes.

His pride took a hike though, when she seemed to rise an inch off the floor within a vortex of her own power and began to hurtle some twenty odd weighted bags at him rapid secession.

He had thought to make a shield but it seemed she managed to be directed a current as opposed to lifting the objects individually.

What by all the stars had Qui-Gon been teaching her?

He tried for a straightforward Force push, which she met with a wild gust of Force energy.

So much power. More power than Dooku thought any Force user could harness relying solely on the light.

Her feet touched the ground, and she braced as she pushed into the spot he kept at.

She had the strength to both hold that spot and hit him from another angle, but she didn't have the practice or experience for it. Instead, she tried to muscle her way through the attack he sent her way.

He focused his offence into that spot, he had held his Master off on more than one occasion, he could certainly hold of one girl who had yet to complete a full year of training.

He pushed harder, dragging on both sides of the Force, knowing his Master and Mace would notice.

Dooku didn't anticipate the change this would inspire in Rey, however, her determined expression changed to one of wonder, as if she saw something in the space between them, as if someone were whispering some secret in her ear.

Her hand raised in a push away gesture, altered to a softer gesture, as if her fingers were strumming a harp.

Something in the energy changed between them.

He felt his eyes go wide, it was impossible for her to know how to do what he was feeling.

He felt his master tense, felt Mace reach for his saber, but it would all be too late. Dooku called to the Dark, he would not die today in a mere training exercise.

* * *

Rey felt it, the imbalance in the Force as she pushed against Master Dooku's Force push.

She had been thinking about the Force as the wind or as the tide.

Where there was a push, there should have been a pull. Instead, she could feel the energy building, it was going to explode in both their faces if she didn't change direction soon.

She examined the nature of the Force as it built and built like a tumbling sand storm, kicking up more and more sand and debris.

But then she 'saw' something else.

Master Jinn said what the Force desired was balance. What she and Dooku were doing now was creating an imbalance of pushing that would eventually explode in either direction. But there was more to it than that.

Between her and the point she pushed against, there was positive and negative energy.

Holding her fingers out she coaxed the positive and negative apart, the negative she brought to herself, centring her breathing, she let the positive energy gather against where she held off Master Dooku's attack.

She had created an imbalance in the Force, and the Force corrected the displaced energy, jumping from one place to other, just like a magnet or connecting an electric wire.

She saw the light before she heard the thunder. This was perhaps not the best attack to use in a fight as it affected her physical vision and hearing.

But by all the stars and planets in the galaxy, it was incredible. She wasn't in the storm. She was the storm.

She saw Master Dooku meet her lightning with his own, but there was something different about his, it was blue and less pure.

She felt him direct their combined lightning toward the wall.

Mentally, she reached out for her Master and Obi-Wan.

_Move._

* * *

They were already moving by the time Rey's warning came, though she didn't sound afraid.

Qui-Gon himself was furious.

Blue Sith lightning crackled as Rey's purple lightning shook the foundation as if she were a lightning rod returning the bolts to the sky.

Her lightning even sounded real.

Who in the blazes had taught her how to do that? He was her Master and Obi-Wan's, he would have said it was impossible.

As the five of them flung themselves to the mats, the combined lightning blew through the Temple wall to the outside.

"What the hell have you been teaching her, Jinn?" Mace hissed at him.

Obi-Wan was looking at Rey with wide eyes.

She turned to look at him with a growing smile, "That was awesome! No one told me Jedi could make lightning!"

Qui-Gon sighed.

Obi-Wan rolled to his back, laughing.

She went to him, kneeling by his side, and she began poking at him, "Why are you laughing?"

This only made Qui-Gon's senior Padawan laugh harder.

"By the Force," Sifo-Dyas muttered, "She's going to be the death of us."

Qui-Gon shook his head, and called, "Padawan Rey, explain yourself."

She looked up at him, "What?"

"Care to share with us how you learned to use Force Lightning?"

She tilted her head to the side, perfectly unaware of the severity of the question, "I felt the imbalance when we were pushing at the same point, it was going to explode outward." She held up her hands, about a foot apart, "I remembered what you said about the Force wanting and always working toward balance. I felt- charges, I guess, like you do when rewiring something. I just pulled the negative from one point, leaving positive at the target, and then," sparks lit between her fingers, in a crackling light of sparks, "the Force balanced between the two points."

Had she simply applied what she knew of mechanics to the Force?

"Are you telling us," Mace began, "You created lightning by engineering imbalance and balance within the Force?"

Rey shrugged, "I suppose." She jabbed a hand into Obi-Wan's side, "Why are you laughing?"

Dooku came up beside him and Qui-Gon bristled as he asked, "Your target was the spot our powers met, not me?"

She gave him an affronted look, "I wouldn't use you as an experiment, Master Dooku. I was just trying to change the attack before it blew back at us."

"How feel you?" Yoda asked.

"Great, that was fun."

"During the attack, mean I?" he pressed.

"Not sure, awed? The Force is incredible."

Qui-Gon had to suppress a smile of his own, which wasn't hard, because while Rey may have either accidentally created Sith Lightning or managed to create something else entirely, Dooku had neither excuse.

He turned on his old Master, "Mind sharing what business you had meeting lightning with lightning, _Master?."_

Dooku straightened to his full height, "I didn't leave the Order as a purely political statement, Qui-Gon."

Sifo-Dyas snorted, "My Master has been teaching us about the Dark Side since we were Padawans. No one can honestly be surprised"

"Who?" Qui-Gon asked.

"The Librarian," Mace supplied.

"No."

Mace nodded.

"Clearly," Sifo-Dyas said, "Yoda needs to keep a closer eye on his old Padawans, both are so perilously close to being Dark Siders."

Master Yoda glared at the future seeing Council member.

"Wait, did I do something bad?" Rey asked, looking between them all.

Obi-Wan was sitting up now, and slung an arm around her shoulder, "Relax, no one is going to kick you out of the Order for being insanely powerful, even if you have nearly scared Master Mace Windu half to death."

"Watch yourself Kenobi," Mace said. "Besides, insanely powerful she may be, but unlike with our Count, I didn't feel Rey was using the Dark Side."

"Then what were you using?" Dooku asked her.

"Physics?" she answered.

Qui-Gon shook his head, Rey knew so little that even he forgot what that could result in. She might wander into the Dark Side not out of falling, but because she didn't understand the difference.

She also didn't know there were limits.

Or that there were supposed to be limits.

Maybe the Jedi had limited themselves by creating such labels on what was good and what was bad?

"Physics," Dooku repeated drily. "Are you even tired? That's not-"

"Unlike you who actually used the Dark Side," Qui-Gon interrupted.

"Qui-Gon, if you truly wish there to be balance in the Force, you must acknowledge both sides of the coin. I was in control, no one was harmed."

"Except the wall," Obi-Wan noted.

Rey grinned, "We made a window."

Obi-Wan snorted, "Oh Force, my life would be so boring without you."

"And probably safer," Sifo-Dyas remarked.

"Well, I suppose it's time we see what damage you can do with a lightsaber," Mace said.

Qui-Gon shook his head, but didn't protest, the wall wasn't going to fix itself in a day. Masters were poking their heads to see the damage, but upon spotting Dooku, Yoda and Mace, they moved on.

He didn't like to think what the rumours around the Temple would be once they picked up on the damage originating from his Padawan rather than Master Yoda's prodigies.

Mace unhooked his lightsaber from his belt, he turned down the power setting, to what Qui-Gon fervently hoped was the lowest setting.

Rey hesitated, still on her knees side by side with Obi-Wan.

Mace quirked a brow, "You just used lightning to blow a hole through the wall, don't give me you're against shows of violence. Come on, Padawan, this is my apology for drawing on you when first we met."

Qui-Gon suppressed an eye-roll. Mace knew Rey thought of him as a celebrity, she thought almost all the Council were celebrities.

He was doing this because having the first saber she held be a purple saber would have a lasting impression.

He was probably right.

She reached a hand out.

And if Qui-Gon thought this day couldn't get more 'interesting' he was quite soundly proven wrong.

* * *

The moment Rey touched the saber, the world around her morphed into a mosaic of images shown through panes of glass.

She saw Master Yoda, his green lightsaber spinning faster than a spinning top. She saw a machine firing shot after shot.

She saw the world fracture into cracking glass.

She felt the lightsaber in her hand, flashes of purple as she aimed for the centre of that shattering point.

The mosaics broke around her, and she shattered with them.

* * *

Obi-Wan wanted to curse at Master Windu, he really did, as Qui-Gon dropped to his knees beside them.

Obi-Wan was trying to lower Rey back as gently as he could as her body jerked, her muscles fighting themselves. Her head and shoulders they managed to lean back into Qui-Gon's lap as Mace reclaimed his stupid saber.

Her hands didn't curl up like last time. She looked as if she were being electrocuted by a low voltage current.

The seizure wasn't severe, but it was a long five minutes. And Obi-Wan hated the sight of her eyes rolling back into her head as her stiffened body seized in helpless tremors.

"Well, at least now we know for sure that is psychometry," Sifo-Dyas said into the tension.

"I'm so sorry," Mace was saying.

"Pass, it will," Yoda comforted.

Obi-Wan wasn't so easily mollified, "Her first experience with a lightsaber is going to be this, happy now, Master Windu?"

The man winced.

Qui-Gon rested a hand on Rey's forehead, he was too worried to pick on Mace.

Dooku, however, was not, "She will certainly remember this, which I believe was Master Windu's intent."

"A price for power, there is," Yoda remarked.

Sifo-Dyas snorted, "The world is not so fair. One curse is not indicative of another gift."

"Her training was going well before you lot weighed in," Qui-Gon muttered after Rey's body slumped.

"Rey, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked.

Her eyes flickered open, then shut. She tried to speak, but it looked as if moving her throat hurt.

Obi-Wan turned accusing eyes on Mace who was kneeling on the other side of her.

They all waited. Yoda summoned a glass of water from the small table near the exit.

Rey was still blurry eyed but she was aware enough that with Qui-Gon's help she was able to lean up and accept a few mouthfuls of water from Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon wetted his hands in the remaining water to wipe across her sweaty brow.

She tried to sit up, but Obi-Wan said, "Wait, Rey, give yourself time. We are just taking you to the medical wing anyway."

She stopped fighting them after that, her eyes drifting shut as she began to settle her breathing.

He asked, "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

Rey roused herself enough to pat Mace's knee, "Is okay," she slurred, "shatter point…" she opened blood shot eyes to glance up at him, "very cool."

Qui-Gon was looking at the Vaapod Master too, "No, Mace, you are never living this down."

Master Yoda chuckled.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, reviews or comments of any kind for this aspiring writer, pretty, pretty please?


	8. Harbingers of the Chaos

KEYnotes: Sidious told Maul a lot of incorrect information that has officially placed Maul as one of the most confused characters I've ever written. In the Rise of Skywalker Rey's dad is revealed as Sidious's non-Force sensitive clone :D

Chapter 8 - Harbingers of the Chaos

Darth Maul had never been thankful for a droid's existence until the little thing came in beeping about the girl -who was meant to become his apprentice- _finally_ leaving the Temple.

Maul had mixed feelings about taking the girl on, one because she was too strong, and two because his own training didn't include the seducing of his victims.

His victims had two fates, a quick death or a slow death, both concluded in the same way.

But Darth Sidious was growing evermore wrathful as his political endeavours came to a standstill. Maul had no leeway to break out on his own as his Master attempted to train him in the more subtle techniques of training a student in the Sith arts without torture.

At times, he found it tedious, at others he wondered how anyone could pursue the Dark Side like this. Sidious wanted him to plant the seeds of hatred in her heart, make her see reason that the Jedi were evil slavers, and one day teach her to hate them all as much as he did.

To accept pain and fear as a way to build one's power to defeat their enemies.

For months now Maul had been living on Coruscant in the shadow of the Jedi Temple. His Master refusing him even the pastime of picking off the foolish strays who wandered too far from their Order.

But no, his sole focus had to be the girl.

He had come to hate her, more than almost any other, but in this instance, for the first time, his hatred wasn't helpful to him. In order to seduce her to the Dark, he had to learn to let go of his hatred.

Letting go of his hatred was not his strong suit, and just the act of trying, left him feeling unbalanced.

And there it was, the object of his discontent, the girl: three buns, plain face, bright eyes, dressed cleanly in grey and white. She had no saber that he could discern, she was only armed with a staff.

She walked through the crowd in one of the shopping districts that catered to those who served the rich. There were stands of exotic foods from across the galaxy, and goods that consisted of the practical to shiny bobbles of no imaginable use.

She took it in -wide eyed, her attention jumping from thing to thing like a child let out of the house for the first time.

Maul stayed in the shadows, her opposite in every way. His black robes to her pale ones, his dual bladed saber to her hermit's staff, his sneering face to her open and friendly one.

And she smiled a lot, at everyone she passed, and all who met her gaze returned her smile, sometimes warmly, and sometimes surprised, after all having a Jedi Padawan acknowledging their existence wasn't an everyday occurrence.

Because this was Coruscant, and dressed as she was, there was no way to mistake her for anything else other than one of the esteemed Jedi.

It was disgusting.

He trailed her, having to fall back behind corners, groups of people, and stands as she _kept_ looking around her.

One would think she was taking stock of a planetarium, not a common market place of which there were thousands across Coruscant alone.

He watched her stop at a flower stand and gently touch a finger to one of the petals. She looked completely and utterly peaceful.

He pulled back leaning against a column.

_Peace was a lie._

Everything the girl knew or was, was a _lie_.

He didn't want to train her, he wanted to destroy her.

He wanted to take all her smiles, all the light she wrapped around herself, all of that deceitful peace and snuff her out with it.

This girl who knew nothing of pain or loss or fear, whose illusion of peace came out of the suffering of the galaxy.

He was the Sith, he was Darth Maul, the hammer that would break the wheel the Jedi strangled the galaxy with.

Only through destruction could balance be restored to the Force.

This girl was the pinnacle of all that he hated.

"Hello, did you want to speak with me?"

Maul jolted back. Fisting his hands at his side, it took everything he had to not pull his saber and strike her down.

He looked down into her hazel eyes and wanted nothing more than to kill her.

And he could have done too, she was too close to defend herself.

He felt his power building in response to his emotions and couldn't have spoken even if he had the words his Master had been teaching him on his tongue.

But the girl seemed to take his silence as acknowledgement. "Sorry if I'm bothering you, I just kept noticing you. Have we met before?"

Had she really remembered him from Naboo? He would have sworn she hadn't seen him, a glimpse of his robes at most.

"No," he said, his voice -despite himself- coming out as a growl.

His Master had forbade him from growling at her.

_My apprentice, your goal is to compel her to the Dark Side, not intimate her._

Which was not how his Master had trained him.

But despite his tone, the girl was far from being intimidated.

Smiling, she held out her hand, "Well then, it's nice to meet you, I'm Rey."

By the Force, he wanted to murder her.

But no matter what little sense he saw in his Master's instructions for this mission, he would remain loyal. As long as Sidious kept winning at any rate.

Muscles aching from the need to wrend this small human into so many little pieces, he took her hand in his.

The moment their skin touched the Force seemed to equalize between them.

The Dark, the Light, the _Force_ washed over them like a warm breeze.

He was reluctant to take his hand back, wanting to explore that feeling that was to him neither Jedi nor Sith.

"Maul," he said, the energy he had been building within was still there but no longer directed at her.

She grinned, as if he said something that made her happy.

He scowled, but before his anger could be redirected back at her, the thought came that she had been pleased he had given only one name that was as short as her own.

Had he just skimmed her thoughts?

He fervently hoped she couldn't glimpse his, he still wanted to kill her.

It was the principal of who he was.

"I don't go out into the city much," -he knew this all too well- "Do you know anywhere good to eat?"

He stared at her.

_It couldn't be that easy?_

He gave the slightest of nods, thinking she might be leading him into a trap.

But he could feel her through the Force, and there was no intent for harm. She had no shielding to speak of, which didn't matter much considering how powerful she was.

Was she truly as strong as Darth Sidious?

He strode ahead, his shoulders tight as she followed at his back close behind.

He wished his mission was to kill her, he could lead her anywhere and she wouldn't know she was in danger until it was too late.

Instead of a trap, however, he led her to a pub he frequented.

It was a busy place, loud, but not deafeningly so. People came here for the food more than the spirits.

Maul liked it here because no one ever asked personal questions. This was not a high crime area, this was where the working class went when they wanted to drop their friendly and subservient roles they had to play at their various jobs.

As a result, Rey was one of three humans in a packed space of thirty life signatures.

She didn't seem bothered by this as they found an empty table against the far wall.

The waiter waded over on undulating limbs and asked in a gruff tone, "What'ill be?"

She ordered some type of fried vegetable with hot dip, already reaching for the credits. Unlike many on Coruscant from the wealthy walks of society, she apparently knew enough to pay upfront.

Their waiter named a sum.

Rey scoffed at him, and jabbed a thumb behind her, "That's not what he paid."

At least, Maul thought as he observed her, she was somewhat intelligent.

"He's not a Jedi scum."

Her smile turned vicious, "Of course, he's also not the one who is going to purchase a second meal here this evening."

The waiter grumbled as he took the correct sum, before turning to Maul who flipped him the usual amount for his usual order.

Once they were alone, Rey asked, "So, are you going to tell me why you've been trailing me?"

He just looked at her, waiting for what she would do, wondering if she could feel him as clearly as he felt her.

She leaned back in her seat, "Nice robes. While common at the Temple, you're the first person I've seen who isn't a Jedi on this planet to be wearing them."

She was fishing, he let her.

Because she had just told him that, yes, she could feel him through the Force.

His shielding wasn't as good as his Master's, but no other Jedi he had ever passed before had sensed him.

"What's your profession?" she asked.

What was he supposed to say to that? He couldn't remember what Sidious had instructed him to say. He hadn't expected to get her alone and talking to him this soon after meeting. So he said something he could pretend to be, "Bounty hunter."

She relaxed, and only then did he notice she had been tense.

Although, he hadn't sensed any fear from her in the Force.

"Know many bounty hunters, young Jedi?"

"Quite a few actually. I lived on Tatooine before moving to the Temple."

Their waiter came back then, placing their food down, he gave Rey an odd look but with less animosity than he had approached her with. It was easy to despise the Jedi on this planet, living with as much wealth as the senators.

But Rey was not wholly of their ilk.

She wasn't lost to them, not yet.

Maul pulled back his hood as he reached for his food.

He felt her gaze on him and he looked up to see her look of interest.

He could feel her intense curiosity through the Force.

But she didn't ask about his horns or tattoos as she reached for something on her plate that only vaguely looked like it might have been a vegetable at one point.

She closed her eyes for a moment, savouring the food.

Maul was pleased by this small show of emotion.

This was not a girl who had the passion ironed out of her, she was not yet a drone to the hive mind of the Jedi.

As they ate in silence, he felt himself sink into the sensation of her presence. He couldn't think of the last time he shared a meal with someone. Yes, he had eaten around others often enough, but the only person he had any true connection to was his Master.

He had stood by as his Master ate, but Darth Sidious would sooner have him starve to death than share a meal.

Hunger, of course, being just another tool to fuel his powers.

But as he ate with Rey, he thought it was a companionable silence that grew between them.

He wondered if she were truly fearless or too trusting to sense her peril.

When they had finished, she asked, "Are you from Coruscant?"

"No," he answered.

She deflated a bit, and he realized she wasn't going to press him with personal questions.

Sighing, he told her what many could have told her later based solely off of his description, "I'm a Dathomirain Zabrak."

She perked up, "Dathomirian?"

"Dathomir is a planet in the far Outer Rim."

"What's it like?"

He could hardly remember, Darth Sidious had taken him as an apprentice when he was young. He didn't even remember his birth name. He just knew that if the Jedi ever ventured that far from their precious Temple, they would have slaughtered almost all his people who would not have joined the Jedi Order. Zabraks, especially their females, were Force sensitives.

The only strong Force users in the central rungs of the galaxy who could not hide themselves were Jedi, all others were killed or imprisoned.

"I don't remember," he said, voice low, "I left to help my people. To make the galaxy a safer place for them."

_Play to her sympathies,_ his Master had commanded him. He became a Sith for revenge, not because he cared that much for a people he barely remembered.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I don't remember my home either."

She was making this too easy, it made him suspicious.

"Not Tatooine then?"

She shook her head, then reached up to fiddle with her Padawan braid. "I would like to think I'm from somewhere green with trees. Naboo felt familiar to me in a way I hadn't expected. And the jungle is a far cry from the desert dunes."

"How old were you when you lost your family?" Because he could see it in her eyes, the attachments that the Jedi thought they were beyond.

"Around five, or so I'm told."

So not much younger than he had been.

He wanted to know more, Rey was a riddle, and one he needed to solve if he was going to make her his apprentice.

Darth Sidious was the most powerful being in the galaxy.

But Maul was growing tired of his leash.

Rey was powerful, he felt it in his bones, he could use her to destroy his Master. Use her to bring down the Jedi from the inside out.

Her next question, or was it a statement, halted his thoughts, "You're a Force user too then."

How she responded next would be the defining moment, or rather, if she ran crying home to her Jedi, would decide the course of their destiny.

He felt the Force hum between them, as if it waited in anticipation with him.

In a low voice, he said, "Yes, I am."

She smiled, "Glad I'm not the only one the Jedi missed then."

He stared at her, had they threatened her or not?

"Apparently it was a huge exception for me to be training at the Temple at nineteen. Did they offer you a place too?"

"I was neither approached nor would I have accepted if I had been. I have no desire to become a Jedi."

"I suppose not, I can see how it isn't for everyone."

Was she really that unaware to the power dynamic the Jedi had over the galaxy?

Did she believe she had a choice?

And here, it was said the Sith were crafty.

She stood, "I have to go, Maul, but it was good to meet you. Thanks for having dinner with me."

He stood, wanting her to come back with him, to abandon the Jedi. The Force itself sang between them.

She bowed to him, he bowed in return.

Lifting her grey hood, she departed from the pub into the twilight.

Maul was left with the Force beckoning him to follow her.

But he was not the Force's slave, the Force was his weapon.

* * *

Darth Sidious had not been having a good year.

His plot for a vote of no-confidence had fallen through. And somehow, Queen Amidala had found the unlikeliest of friends.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Count Dooku.

The latter of which Sidious had been sizing up for years to join as a possible apprentice. But in all his shades of grey, the Jedi Order had tentatively accepted the wayward Master back.

And Queen Amidala was taking unusual council with the Jedi Masters as she pressed her agenda for anti-slavery laws and labour laws.

They weren't huge successes or losses on his part, but it meant that there was no attack he could press on her without the Jedi being immediately alerted.

It also seemed that through Queen Amidala, other systems were realizing the full diplomatic functions of the Jedi Order.

There were parts of the Jedi Temple open to the public, the archives were not among them.

However, if any politician, from any system, asked the Jedi to help them with research for drafting a bill or movement, the Jedi jumped at the chance.

The last year had seen a wave of members of the Republic using the Jedi as other than warriors. For the true power of diplomat came not in their ability to hack and scare, but for their knowledge and historical arguments.

It wasn't, Sidious knew, Padawans scouring the archives, but fully fledged Masters who loved nothing better than to lecture others in the importance of 'peaceful' discourse.

It was the exact opposite of what Sidious needed.

And though, the waves weren't large yet, Sidious saw those ripples for what they were. He would have loved to destroy the stone that had been tossed.

Queen Amidala, being that stone, had to go.

Sidious thought it would be best if her death could be laid at the Jedi's feet. It would take quite a bit of maneuvering to get this done. But he had his ways, he just hoped he had enough time to enact his plans before the individual systems realized the most irksome function of the Jedi were the tongues rather than their sabers.

That Count Dooku had returned to the Jedi fold was a blow to Sidious's game, compounded by Queen Amidala taking up the man's company.

Instead of encouraging his Separatist movent to act in violence, he listened to the young queen's words of hope and charity. And Dooku, as Count and Jedi Master, had at his disposal to make the Queen's daydreams into actuality.

Where people didn't listen to the richly dressed queen, not yet in her twenties, they listened to the elder Count.

Sidious was still holding out hope that Dooku might yet slide back to the Dark. Queen Amidala's 'unfortunate' murder would likely be a good start to get the Count back onto the correct path.

The only thing going right for Sidious this year seemed to be his apprentice's unexpected successful contact with Padawan Rey.

Somehow, Maul had not only managed to make contact with her, but form a bond with the child.

The Jedi broke their own rules in taking in such an older student, her ample ignorance of the galaxy, of the Force, and of what it meant to be a 'strong' Force user outside of the Jedi Order, would all work toward their advantage.

-_What are her weaknesses, my apprentice?_

_-She is overly trusting, Master. She doesn't know where she is from, but she thinks Naboo might have been her home world._

What a stroke of fortune that was.

-_What of her family?_

_-Lost to her when she was young, I sensed her pain._

_-How did they die?_

_-She didn't specify._

Irritating.

-_Anything else?_

Maul had been silent.

_-Student?_

_-She thinks the Jedi overlooked her, as they did me. She thinks the Jedi gave her a choice._

_-Cunning of them._

Sidious had easily curtailed Maul's suspicion that the Jedi let go of more Force users then it kept. The lie that Jedi killed Force users who didn't join them was simple enough, and he intended to steal Rey as his own apprentice before Maul learned to trust her enough for the truth to be revealed.

If every rumour he heard about this Padawan, if Maul's account, were right, then Rey might be the Chosen One.

He would use her, break her to his will and dismantle the Jedi from the inside out.

Maul was stupid to believe that he would ever have control enough over the girl to turn against him. No, Rey would be Maul's replacement.

A knock came at Sidious's door. Upon opening it, he was greeted by the queen and her handmaidens.

"Ah, my Queen, my apologies. I see that our ship as landed, I was simply lost in my own thoughts."

She spoke in that foolish tone of hers, "I had heard you wished to meet the Jedi heroes of Naboo. They have honoured our request to meet us at our dock."

A zing of pleasure shot through him, he would finally meet the girl and assess her potential for himself.

Captain Panaka shook his head as they walked, "Did you hear the story about Padawan Rey blowing a hole through one of the Temple's outer wall?"

"Rumours, I'm sure," Queen Amidala said.

"No," Panaka disagreed, "It took a week for them to repair it, apparently the lightning was witnessed by many."

_Lightning?_

He hadn't been away from Coruscant that long had he?

And the girl was already using Sith Lightning a year into her training? How was that even possible? Who had taught her?

Dooku?

Perhaps Maul hadn't been over estimating her powers.

"Are you sure it was the Padawan?"

"Yep, apparently it caused quite the disturbance at the Temple. It takes a lot to rile up the Jedi."

Sidious found himself liking this new apprentice of his more and more.

As they walked off the ship, he felt her through the Force and almost stumbled. He pulled his shields tight around himself.

Maul had warned him that though the girl had no shields of her own, she could see through others with ease. He hadn't worried until he felt her presence like an unfiltered sun in his mind.

He knew immediately that here was a power that could reval his own, but it was wild, unharnessed, the Force hung around her like a too strong perfume.

Even so, it was odd that he sensed her so strongly. Had he paid attention, he would have noticed her even on the ship, but now, safe behind his shields, he still felt her, despite not feeling the other two Jedi.

There was something more to her than power, something more between them that he would one day cultivate into a Master and apprentice bond.

Maul had said she smiled often.

The girl smiled at first the Queen, and then more warmly at one of the handmaidens, but when her gaze fell on him, her smile faded.

There was something familiar about her face. The hazel eyes looked out of place, her face feeling unfinished to him somehow.

The large man who stood a step ahead of both his Padawans bowed to them, hands in his sleeves.

His senior Padawan bowed as well, but the girl remained frozen, transfixed.

Shoving aside his worry that she was somehow seeing through his shields, he dipped his head in turn.

"Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Glad I am to see you again, and to meet your Padawans at long last. The heroes of Naboo," he said in a pleasant tone.

He felt the assault of the girl's emotions like a burst dam. He turned to look at her as she staggered back a step.

Horror dawned across her expression.

Sidious realized why her face seemed so odd to him, she looked like his youngest sister. With that expression, almost exactly as his little sister had looked when he had cut her through, except that Padawan Rey's eyes were hazel, not blue, and she wore not a spec of makeup.

"Rey?" Padawan Kenobi asked, reaching a hand out to her, but the girl stepped away from him.

"Are you quite alright?" Sidious asked, shaking away the pleasant image of his sister's corpse staring blankly up at the ceiling. Jedi rarely wore cosmetics, it shouldn't seem wrong to him that this girl didn't.

"_You_," she said, and in the word a world of heartbreak.

As much as Sidious enjoyed watching Jedi break down in front of him, he didn't understand the depth of her reaction. "I'm sorry, my dear, have we met before?"

Her eyes seemed to brim with tears, and again, Sidious had to dispell the image of his mother's face as she spent the last moments of her life grieving the life of her poor fool of a husband.

"Rey," Jinn coaxed her, "This is Senator Palpatine of Naboo."

She blinked rapidly, and her horror gave way to fear. Her face was amazingly expressive.

"Palpatine?"

Sidious dreamed of people whispering his name like that, in that most fearful of tones, but he forced his own expression into one of concern. "My dear apprentice, what is wrong?"

She looked around at his entourage, and her fear morphed to anger. It vibrated through the Force like a darkling song, yet as quickly as the anger came, she released it to the Force leaving only pain behind. She squared herself on the edge of the platform.

Sidious had to suppress a sense of victory, she was ripe for the picking, all he had to do was discover the source of this wonderful font of emotions.

"You don't remember me," she stated flatly.

He could still feel her roiling emotions, but he paused, did he know her? Aloud he asked, "Should I?"

A fresh stab of pain, and she flinched as if he had stabbed her with a needle. In a strained voice, she said, "I waited for you. I waited years for you to come back for me, I counted the days."

Sidious was officially confused. He had never met this child before, and he would have remembered encountering a power like hers. "I'm sorry, you must have confused me with someone else."

"You didn't age well," she noted.

_You little bitch,_ he thought, his own expression slipping. "I have not met you before, Padawan."

"Rey," Jinn warned her, responding to his apprentice's mounting pain and anger.

"I thought my memories of you had faded, but I recognize your features, your voice. I guess I know now why Naboo was familiar to me."

At this point, Sidious had lost patience. Yes, the girl's dismal control was amusing, but he was done entertaining her. "Child, we have never met before. I am a stranger to you."

"No," she said, her hazel eyes fathomless, "I am your daughter."

"No," he said automatically, his mind racing, "No. That isn't true." He had always been careful. More firmly, he informed her, "That's impossible."

She smiled, the Force danced to the melody of her sorrow, "I suppose we are strangers, I suppose I never should have waited."

And then she fell backwards, off the platform.

His pulse lurched, and he reached a hand out to her.

"Rey!" Kenobi shouted, before he jumped off the edge after her.

Jinn bowed to them all, "My apologies, Queen Amidala, Senator Palpatine." Then he too leapt off the edge of the platform.

Panaka patted Sidious on the back, "Congratulations, old friend. You're a father."

Sidious fought not to glare at him as he processed what had just happened.

He thought back to twenty years ago and supposed that, no, it wasn't _impossible_ he had sired a child.

And if the girl was his, it would explain why she had reminded him so strongly of his sisters and mother. It might even explain why she was so powerful and why he sensed her so clearly. He knew, theoretically, that Force-sensitivity could be inherited, he even knew that Force sensitive relatives could even form bonds early on.

But what it didn't explain was how the girl recognized him.

_I waited for you._

No, the girl was mistaken, Darth Sidious did not have a daughter. But he smiled, that didn't mean he couldn't use this connection to his advantage. Padawan Rey had been abandoned by her father, that would be a role he was all too willing to fill.

He thought over her emotions, tasting them on the back his tongue like the aftertaste of some fine wine.

She would be his apprentice, and the Jedi would regret having brought a Sith among their ranks.

* * *

Qui-Gon followed Rey's bleeding emotions, across several docking bays. He felt the odd looks he was receiving but he pushed forward. He found his Padawans on a deserted level, Rey was pacing angrily back and forth.

He felt her inner conflict, and he prayed for the strength, for the right words to convince her to stay with them.

"Rey," he ventured, Obi-Wan gave him a panicked look. Qui-Gon knew at once that Obi-Wan hadn't been able to break through to her.

But at the sound of her Master's voice, she spun to face them, "He's a senator?"

Qui-Gon nodded, "The Senator of Naboo."

Her expression was twisted in pain, and he worried she was going to hyperventilate.

"How rich is he?"

His heart broke. Qui-Gon had never thought Rey would care about capital. That this was her first question after meeting her biological father didn't bode well.

"Why does that matter?" Obi-Wan asked, hurt in his tone as he came to the same conclusion Qui-Gon had. "Rey, calm down, this isn't like you?"

"How rich is he!?" she shouted at him, "He walks with the Queen, his clothes-"

"He is very wealthy," Qui-Gon said, his own tone one of dispair.

It had only been a year, but for her to leave the Order like this… he didn't want to think she was betraying them.

"Did he grow up poor? Is that it? Did he work his way to power?" she asked, anger colouring her voice, tainting her Force signature.

Qui-Gon should have chastised her, but he knew it was already too late, so he answered, "No, the Palpatine family, as far as I understand, has always been a prestigious family on Naboo."

"Palpatine," she hissed, her pacing grew faster, as she repeated, "Palpatine, Palpatine. Rey Palpatine. She said that, I remember, she said that. Rey _Palpatine_, she said one day the galaxy would know that name."

Worry flooded Qui-Gon. Rey was dangerous, exceedingly so if she left the Order now. A year of training wasn't much, but if she went to Naboo and followed in her father's footsteps... pursuing power over peace.

What had he done? Qui-Gon couldn't survive another Xanatos, he couldn't.

"Rey," Obi-Wan choked out, reaching for her.

She stopped, and looked at them, face hard and voice low as she asked, "Is he in danger, is being a senator dangerous?"

Qui-Gon couldn't rightly process the question and Obi-Wan answered for him, "What do you mean, dangerous? There is always the chance in politics something might happen like the Trade Federation taking over Naboo, but no, being a senator, at least of that planet, isn't dangerous."

"Then why?" She was shouting again, "Why!?"

Qui-Gon still couldn't speak, this was all happening too fast. Obi-Wan straightened his shoulders, "Why what, Rey?"

"Why did they sell me into slavery!?"

The world seemed to freeze.

Through the bond, Qui-Gon finally understood her pain, her wildfire of emotions.

_I waited years for you to come back for me, I counted the days._

She motioned above them, "Why does a man like that sell his own daughter into slavery? I couldn't have been worth much, the last thing they said to me was I would be safe there. But I wasn't safe! Do you know what I had to do to earn my freedom? All the times I nearly-" she put her hands to the sides of her head. "_Why?_ What did I do? What could I have possibly done to deserve being sold?" Tears were rolling down her cheeks, "I loved them. I loved them with all my heart and soul, and they sold me-" her voice broke.

Qui-Gon strode forward to wrap her in his arms. She clutched at his robes, burying her sobs into his chest. He rubbed her back, "Shhh, Rey, shhh, you were a child, there's nothing you could have done to deserve that. Nothing."

She wrapped her arms around him, her entire body shaking, as she gave herself to the grief.

Qui-Gon held her as close as he could, trying to keep her from breaking alone.

Senator Sheev Palpatine sold his daughter into slavery?

Why?

And why, if she was such a powerful Force sensitive, didn't he just give her to the Jedi Order? If she really had been in some type of danger, the Temple would have kept her safe.

Tatooine was no place for a child, and there was no reason good enough to sell one's child into slavery, wealthy or no.

Obi-Wan came to them, putting a hand on Rey's shoulder, "We're here for you, Rey. You'll never be alone again."

Qui-Gon opened his arms wide enough that Obi-Wan could hold her too. Qui-Gon held onto both his Padawans, he opened the bonds between them, letting the Force flow freely. The Force took their pain as Rey cried out her heart, released the poison that coloured her past.

He didn't know for sure that she might not still leave the Order, but Qui-Gon knew for certain that she would never betray them.

Not as she herself had been betrayed.

* * *

She was going insane.

In the initial shock of meeting Senator Palpatine, in remembering him, she hadn't realized how impossible that was.

Over a year had passed since her arrival to Tatooine. Her life from Jakku to Tatooine hadn't changed much. The Jedi, as fiction or truth, hadn't existed in reality on either. She hadn't realized how far she let herself slip into the idea that she wasn't from the future, that she hadn't time travelled back nearly a century into the past.

So here were the crossroads, either Senator Palpatine wasn't her father, and her childhood memories had betrayed her, who she was from the correct timeline, not a time traveller, and just bloody insane with no explanation of why her memories were what they were of Jakku.

_Rey Palpatine._

The name rung true, that was her name. Her mother's wish that she make something more out of it, be remembered for the good, not the evil, unlike...

_Emperor Palpatine_.

Surely, that couldn't be right, surely the would be Emperor of the galaxy was not a relative of hers. Was Senator Palpatine the right age to be the Emperor himself? What did that mean? And it made even less sense than anything else that the Emperor of the galaxy would sell his kin on a planet as insignificant as Jakku.

She held onto Master Jinn. She was safe here, with Master Jinn and Obi-Wan. She reached for their bonds, giving her fears and her pain to the Force as they had taught her.

Trying desperately to come to terms with these new revelations. Trying to make sense of them. Could she remain a whole person, even if reality bent around her?

She wanted to explain her fears, wanted to voice them, and be told it was alright and they would keep her anyway.

But if her own father would sell her into slavery, what hope could she have that Master Jinn and Obi-Wan would keep her when they realized how completely broken her grasp on reality was?

* * *

AN: Reactions, thoughts, any feedback at all for this aspiring Jedi, please?


	9. Butterfly

AN: I cannot thank the reviewers enough, thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts with me.

Chapter 8 - Butterfly

Senator Palpatine sent a genealogy test to Master Jinn, requesting that Rey's heritage be proven.

She was more than happy to do this, and watched over his shoulder as he inserted her blood sample into the computer.

She didn't know what to hope for, either the Senator really was her father, and her life on Jakku was a lie, or her memories from her childhood were a lie.

Or something else that Rey couldn't begin to understand.

Regardless, she was pretty certain that Senator Palpatine was Emperor Palpatine. Maybe she really did have foresight like Master Sifo-Dyas, or maybe the Force had just tipped her off to Senator Palpatine being a bad person.

The screen finished loading; the genetics checked out.

Senator Sheev Palpatine was her father, and her 'time travel' experience was more complicated than a child's false memories.

She sank into a chair, her mind reeling.

She slowed her breathing, and drew on the Force, it shined around her like sunlight on a rushing river.

The Force was real, her connection to Master Jinn and Obi-Wan were real.

The rest…

Did her past matter? Did who she was depend on how she recalled history? No, her experiences were what mattered.

She was a scavenger and a Jedi apprentice.

She had been a daughter who loved her parents.

Rey followed that thread of suppressed pain, dim because the pain of their separation wasn't the only pain to be found there.

_Fear._

They had lived on the edge of a town, Rey and her mother had spent more time in the jungle among the plants and playing in streams than wandering the architectural beauty of Naboo.

Her mother had been as gentle as she had been strong.

And strong she had needed to be, her father, as kind, as loving as he had been, had lived in fear. She remembered him always looking over his shoulder. Deep into the night, long after Rey had been tucked into bed, anger had coloured his voice when he spoke with her mother.

What had her father feared? Why had he been so very, very angry?

_You will be safe here,_ was the last thing he had said to her.

Her mother's arms had held her one last time, _We love you._

_-Then why did you leave me?_ Rey wanted to ask them.

Rey dug deeper into those old memories, long ignored for the sorrow they carried.

Her mother kneeling before her, pushing her hair back from her face, _Never be afraid of who you or where you came from. One day, my daughter, the galaxy will remember your name, not for the horror you caused but for the light you brought them. Rey Palpatine, you will be counted among the brightest of stars._

A large hand touched her cheek, wiping away the tears.

Rey opened her eyes, to find Master Jinn kneeling before her. She put a hand over his, and said, "My name is Rey Palpatine, and the galaxy will remember that name when he has been long forgotten."

Her Master smiled, "Padawan Palpatine, I could not be more proud than to call you my apprentice."

She left her chair to hug him, he wrapped his arms around her.

She let the pain go. She let the unanswered questions and the doubts that had ravaged her soul go to the Force.

And in turn, the Force gave her freedom.

No matter what the future or past might hold in store for her, she was home, the Jedi were her family, and the Force was her shelter.

She was Padawan Rey Palpatine, and no one could take that from her.

* * *

Qui-Gon was far more angry than he had anticipated being. So angry in fact, that he was forced to give up hours of sleep in order to meditate in the attempts to relinquish that anger.

But as soon as he let go of his emotions, something would remind him, or the Senator himself would remind him anew about what he had to be angry about.

Qui-Gon didn't particularly like politicians to begin with.

And if he had one fault as a Jedi Master, _hating_ slavers would be it. Well, probably he had many faults, he knew he did, but his emotions on this matter, he knew were actively breaking from the Jedi Code.

He could not for the life of him fathom why Senator Palpatine would sell his own child.

He also was sick of the man's constant endeavours to reach out to his Padawan. Especially, as he denied to tell them if he knew who the mother had been. Rey, despite taking on her surname, had relinquished her kinship to her biological father in the way of the Jedi. The Jedi were her family. Her name she acknowledged, the Senator she did not.

Qui-Gon was beginning to run out of ways to phrase that to Naboo's Senator. His responses of late had been curt and far from his usual diplomatic tones.

He wondered if his summons by the Council today was in any way related to that. He hoped not.

Quinlan Vos would be arriving tomorrow evening, and he hoped this summons would be an upcoming mission, not the Senator trying to reach Rey by going over his head.

The room he entered was one of Yoda's mediation places, there the Grandmaster and Mace sat waiting for them.

Qui-Gon bowed before taking a seat set in a loose triangle before them.

"Master Jinn," Mace began, "We've received an interesting request from Senator Palp- Why are you making that face?"

Qui-Gon sighed, tried to speak, then sighed again.

"Upset, you are," Yoda remarked, "Angry even. Well respected, Senator Palpatine is. Teach his daughter, you are, the right to meet with her, he has."

"Not if Rey doesn't wish it. She is one of ours, she will be a Jedi Knight. Her family relations mean nothing."

"Mean something if his name she claims," Yoda said in turn.

"It's her name, her history. Would you have me give up the name Jinn, if I turned away my sire's summons?"

"Why are you so bothered?" Mace asked.

"The matter is complex, but Rey has made her choice, the Senator must accept that."

"More to this story there is," Yoda surmised.

Mace leaned back, crossing his legs. He had an irritatingly superior air to him as he said, "You must tell us, Qui-Gon, your emotions betray you in this I think."

He wanted to deny it, but hadn't he been thinking the same on the walk here? "Sheev Palpatine and the mother, whoever she might be, sold their daughter into slavery. How or why I cannot begin to guess, but Rey says that she was about five years old. She has resolved to hold no ill will against Senator Palpatine, but she wants no further contact with him."

The atmosphere in the room had gone cold. Qui-Gon suppressed a smile, they were angry too.

"Disturbing, this is."

"But why?" Mace asked, "Five? We've taken her blood test, her midi-chlorian count is higher than Yoda's. It is a wonder the Seekers didn't find her, and Naboo is within the Republic. Why would he sell his own kin? What possible reason could he have when he should have given her up to the Jedi Order? She belonged with us."

The last was said with more heat than Qui-Gon had ever heard in the Vaapod Master's words before.

It had only been a year, but Qui-Gon hadn't realized how Rey had won over the hearts of the others.

Yoda, who had accepted Rey at the first, had a dangerous look in his eyes that belied the power his small stature contained. "Senator Palpatine, more insidious he is than imagined. Padawan Rey must be kept from him, a closer eye, in turn, kept on him. Hid this child he did, hid from the Jedi, when so powerful she is…"

Qui-Gon felt his breath leave him, had Senator Palpatine sought to make a weapon out of his own daughter? Was it possible? Hide her in the Outer Rim, until what, she could be salvaged by a Dark Sider?

At any rate, it seemed a more likely scenario than gambling, of which Senator Palpatine had no known history of.

"You think this is something darker?" Mace asked.

"Wrong something is," Yoda said, "Like that he would request a meeting with her from the Council, I do not."

"He hasn't stopped sending me requests to meet with her," Qui-Gon informed them.

Mace uncrossed his legs, and Qui-Gon felt a ripple of his anger, as he said, "Then the Council's reply to the Senator's request will be a restraining order. Padawan Rey Palpatine is of the Jedi, and though we are under the Republic, we dictate ourselves. Qui-Gon, you are her Master, and that means more than being her sire. She is past the age where he might have any legal foothold."

"A darkness growing in the world there has been," Yoda said, "A light our young apprentice is, and the darker that shadow grows the brighter a target she will become. Mind this, Qui-Gon. In great peril, Obi-Wan and Rey they might be."

"From the Nubian Senator?" Mace asked.

"Harm he caused, past or future, say I cannot. But know that many perils there will be, I do."

Qui-Gon's chest was tight.

With great power came great danger, as it seemed with great light there would follow great darkness.

And no greater lights could Qui-Gon imagine than his Padawans, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rey Palpatine.

* * *

Obi-Wan had been uncomfortable about Rey taking her father's name. It was charring to hear people address her as Padawan Palpatine when only he, she, and their Master knew what evil the Senator had done.

But that feeling passed soon enough, because with the name, Rey didn't change much. Yes, he felt a conflict brewing in her, but he realized that it wasn't anything that hadn't been there before.

Rey was an indescribably wonderful person, but she was still human with as many faults as the rest of them.

Obi-Wan didn't think less of her for it, quite the opposite when she moved forward with her life with as much zeal and compassion as she ever had done.

Today, the Temple guards were visiting them.

Rey wasn't taking all that well to saber training, she tried, Force bless her, she really was trying, and her motions for the basic forms were not wrong but-

"Quit stabbing the air," Obi-Wan corrected. "It is a beam, not a single point at the end of a stick."

She wiped her brow, they were warming up as three members of the Temple guard conferred with Master Jinn.

"These motions are easier without the saber."

"No shit," he said, taking his own saber and twirling through the basic motions. She followed, her footwork was good, her arm positioning, not so good.

Rey was using Qui-Gon's saber at its lowest setting, and-

"Rey, I swear by all that floats in zero gravity, do not hold the lightsaber like that, it isn't a staff."

She huffed, powering it off, "I know we have plans to go to Ilum, but I would really like to find a more comfortable alternative than a hilt like these."

"Comfort comes with practice."

"You may try one of ours," said a voice from behind him.

Obi-Wan turned and bowed to the masked Temple guards.

Rey bowed as well, grinning at them, "I did hear that the Temple guard have dual bladed lightsabers. I was also told they require more skill."

"We each have our personal sabers," the central guard said, "Few among us prefer the dual blade, but their uncommonality serves as an extra trial for our foes."

She nodded.

"Let us see what Padawan Kenobi has learned over the last year before we try our staff inclined Padawan," Qui-Gon said.

They all bowed, and the guard to left remained on the mats with Obi-Wan as the others retreated to watch.

Obi-Wan held his lightsaber at the ready, he had been practising more and more with Master Dooku as Qui-Gon mentored Rey in the basics of Shii-Cho.

When Dooku got bored of him, Qui-Gon often left that part of Rey's training to him. As much as he loved Rey, Obi-Wan had truly taken to learning Soresu. Practising Shii-Cho at this point was like mediation exercise, though picking on Rey who for once wasn't automatically advancing had its high moments.

The Temple guard swirled his or hers, they hadn't spoken yet, double-sided saber, and Obi-Wan had to admit it was impressive.

He could only thank his insane training regiment for his ability to keep up with the flowing hits that came at him. Unlike with a single blade, the Temple guard was able to build a near endless momentum.

Obi-Wan couldn't have gotten in a strike if he tried.

Good thing the point of Soresu wasn't attack but defence.

His endurance long outdid the guard who was using a variation of the Form V. And the fight was called before either won, it was the anti-climatic fault of Soresu in a practice duel. Most people wouldn't have wanted to continue over ten minutes much less an hour.

They bowed to each other, and Rey and another guard took their place.

They bowed to one another, and Rey ignited her first dual sided lightsaber.

She looked as if she had fallen in love.

Obi-Wan exchanged a quick smile with Qui-Gon, and what transpired then was much more interesting than his own duel had been.

Obi-Wan had assumed that Rey had picked up on his Form and Qui-Gon's with such grace because of their Master and apprentice bonds.

But what he watched unfold before him was something else entirely. He could see the progress of her form from one minute to the next. She made subtle adjustments that mirrored the guard's handling of his saber.

Swift on her feet, she remained defensive, but with each clash of the yellow blades, Rey met each blow with more and more solidness.

One with the Force, no blow came close to hitting her, and she was never in danger of her own blades.

And Obi-Wan had quite a few moments of holding his breath to have that be proven to him as she executed Ataru flips with that saber. He saw that she was completely in control of herself and her weapon.

The Temple guard for his part was also using Form V, and he seemed to be struggling with Rey's imperfect knowledge of any formal form.

She dodged with the priority of Soresu and she jumped like a Hawk-bat as taught in Ataru, but she didn't have the blade work of either, she didn't even have a simple grasp of Shii-Cho which all the Jedi at the Temple fell back on.

No, Rey used her elongated saber like a staff, her stabbing motion actually having purpose here with that longer reach. The Temple guard was having trouble matching her.

It was a bit like watching a racing stead go after an unbroken beast of burden that had been running to survive predators all its life not win a competition with rules.

And Rey had very, very slim understanding of the rules.

At an opening she saw her opponent waver on pressing the attack, more or less the whole idea behind Form V, she turned off her pike.

In a fluid moment, before the guard knew what was happening, she had the folded weapon on her belt and had grabbed ahold of her opponent's lightsaber hilt.

The Temple guard tried to turn one end toward her while simultaneously pulling the hilt from her grasp, but Rey followed effortlessly.

They then got to witness the most high-risk form of hand to hand combat. With a saber beam to either side, the hilt between them, any slip would be the others doom.

Rey didn't let go of the saber as she moved with the Temple guard, her feet kicking at the man's ankles.

And as the minute passed, Obi-Wan saw just how fast Rey had become over the last year, and how brutal.

She caught the guard's in-step, and he raised one hand off the saber to try for a head blow.

That was his mistake, Rey took the saber with her with a perfectly executed backflip spin, the Force lending her more strength than her stature alluded to. The guard had to let go or be dragged behind and cut with his own lightsaber for his trouble. Rey followed through with the Ataru hand to hand training Qui-Gon had been drilling into them for months on end.

The Temple guard avoid the foot swipe but was caught by a kick to the solar plexus as she came back round in the spin. He landed on his back, his own blade at his throat.

She had won.

Obi-Wan was left wide-eyed.

She had won against a _Temple Guard._

The Force be damned, Obi-Wan looked at Qui-Gon who was fighting not to grin as he and others clapped.

Obi-Wan looked up to see Masters Windu, Dooku, Sifo-Dyas, and Yoda watching from above.

Qui-Gon had been right all along. It didn't matter that Rey wasn't a trained fighter, that she was so much older than the rest of them when she started training, nor that she didn't know the basics. Rey had grown up fighting, her staff had been her life, far more than Obi-Wan's training saber has been his growing up, even if that was the mantra they gave him. He might have not become a padawan if his blade work was lazy, but he had never been in real danger of dying.

Her past wouldn't guarantee her a victory in all things, but it meant in a duel with the unsuspecting, she had much more than prayer.

She came over to them, practically skipping, as she handed back the pike to the Temple Guard who had lent it to her, she said, "I am definitely making one of these."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, "Of course you are, or we will all be spending the next five years trying to teach you how to do something other than your stabby-stabby motion."

She punched him in the shoulder, and he laughed.

* * *

Dooku's life had changed significantly since Qui-Gon had re-entered his life. He had never imagined Yoda would ask him back into the Order without making him surrender Serreno.

It went against everything it was supposed to mean to be a Jedi.

But something had happened with his Master. Some dark shadow had crept into his Master's visions that convinced him of what nothing had in over 850 years.

If the Jedi wished to thrive, they must change.

Dooku knew this, knew it because he had studied the Sith, had explored the Darkness.

And he had found it changed. In the chaos, he found invention. When the Sith were defeated the Jedi stopped advancing.

Sure, some of their lightsaber forms had changed, but even the lightsaber itself was a Sith invention.

In Dooku's personal opinion, the galaxy was too vast that the numbered Jedi could not account for all the Sith being destroyed.

And finally, _finally,_ Yoda had admitted as much to him and Mace last night.

The Darkness was indeed growing.

-_Prepared we must be._

_-What are we supposed to do differently? _Mace had asked.

_-Unsure, I am, but we must be ready._

_-Is this because of Rey?_

_-No, because of the Darkness accepted Padawan Palpatine, did I._

Mace had made a face at the name 'Palpatine' which Dooku had asked about, and found that had Senator Palpatine been a Sith Lord, Dooku would have been more sympathetic.

But selling one's child into slavery?

Dooku didn't ask why, because there was no explanation good enough. Dooku's own father had left him as a babe to die in the elements unless the Jedi picked him in time, but even that he saw as a more humane action than a politician giving his five-year-old daughter to slavers.

As many faults as he saw in the Jedi Order, it was not a poor place to call home. Rey would have been welcomed as Dooku had been, with open arms.

He had cut contact with the Senator, almost swearing that he would kill him when next they met.

But Dooku was officially a Jedi Council member and such threats were frowned upon.

Besides, if Rey could take on her father's name and still smile as brightly, then Senator Palpatine was beneath their vengeance.

Unless, Dooku reasoned, the fool got in his way, then it was just putting the creature out of his misery.

"Greetings, Council member, Master Dooku," Qui-Gon said with perfect civility and still managed to sound teasing.

"Greetings, Master Jinn. Your Padawans were quite impressive this morning. I hear the Temple guards have begun to question their training."

"Sometimes I wonder if we would be just better off giving Rey a staff that couldn't be cut through by a lightsaber."

"She won today using a lightsaber."

"No, she won today using a Jedi's own lightsaber against him."

"True enough, but if that had been a real fight, the moment she jumped at him, he could have sliced her through."

Qui-Gon sighed, "Patience, I suppose, a great tree is not grown in a year, no matter how rich the soil."

"Yes, her powers are deceiving. Her connection to the Force is not yet equalled by her skill. Just as her happiness is deceiving of her past."

Qui-Gon tensed, and Dooku felt his anger through their bond, as his old apprentice said, "You heard then."

"Why didn't you come to me?"

"I thought you were friends with the Senator."

"Did you think I would defend him?" and Dooku's voice held real anger.

"No, I- did Yoda tell you his theory?"

Dooku raised a brow, "A theory of why a wealthy man would sell his own child? Do enlighten me."

"Yoda thinks he was hiding her from the Order so she might be used as a weapon later on."

Dooku's mind spun. "Her midi-chlorian count," he breathed.

"She's Nubian, she would have been found by the Seekers, unless-"

"Unless someone interfered."

"I still don't understand why she was on Tatooine of all places."

Dooku mulled that over. If someone were trying to make a weapon of a child, why would they place her in the Outer Rim?

To invent tragedy.

"You saved her, you found her and brought her here. How sure are you that if it had been someone of a less generous spirit that she would have turned another way?"

Qui-Gon was silent.

"You sense the darkness in her."

"There is darkness in all of us, and she is not Xanatos."

"No, she is incredibly loyal to her friends and family, fortunate that she sees both in the Jedi."

Dooku saw Qui-Gon's lip thin, he had once defended Xanatos against all reproach, Qui-Gon did not make the same mistake here.

"Another problem I see in this," Dooku mused.

"What?" Qui-Gon asked voice sharp.

"A midi-chlorian count is easy enough to hide. But Rey shines in the Force. Not all Jedi, nor all Force sensitives would feel her, they might not notice if they weren't looking for it."

"Your point?"

"If the daughter's midichlorian count could be hidden, why not the father's? Why hide her out of the Republic's reach if all you know to hide are any possible blood tests?"

Qui-Gon's blue eyes went wide, "You think Senator Palpatine might be a Force sensitive?"

"I think it best we don't discount the possibility."

"Yoda said as much," he said, pulling back his long hair. "I'm getting her off Coruscant as soon as I can."

"You are on your way to meet Master Vos soon, are you not?"

Qui-Gon checked the time, "Now in fact, he said we could meet him at the docks. Obi-Wan is with Rey now."

"What are your Padawans up to in the evenings?"

"I don't know anymore, I used to give them instructions, but Obi-Wan knows her limits better than I do now."

"Is she your Padawan or his?"

"Obi-Wan will be as much her Master as I am soon enough," Qui-Gon said as they began walking.

"I do not know who to reward as more maverick, you or Rael."

Qui-Gon laughed, and Dooku had to suppress a smile at the familiar timbre. "Rael has been away too long."

"I wish to lock Rey, Rael, and Mace in the same room together."

"Someone would end up dead, probably Rael, Mace likes Rey."

Dooku smiled, "Everyone likes Rey."

* * *

Qui-Gon had been sure that this evening would be accented with Quinlan Vos's usual swagger and Rey's curiosity of psychometry.

Vos's swagger he got as the man with dreadlocks and a golden strip across his nose and cheeks departed his ship.

But his roguish smile faltered when he spotted Rey, "_You?_ Your Qui-Gon's new apprentice. I didn't realize the Order's standards had sunk so low in my absence."

Rey's response was equally hostile as she readied herself for a fight, "You're a Jedi? No, I'm sorry, I don't believe it. A hilarious joke, really. I thought we were here to meet a Master."

Vos glowered at her, "I assure you, little scavenger, I have more reason to be here than you do."

"And I assure you, that your ship has been docked in the wrong port. As far as can tell, Coruscant's underbelly is many levels lower."

Qui-Gon saw true rage spark in Vos's eyes, and he didn't have time to pull his weapon as Rey went flying at the Master Jedi who had reached for his saber.

Rey's staff sent Vos's saber skittering across the platform before he could ignite. That, however, didn't stop Vos from going after Rey with brutal kicks and punches.

"You little scavenger bitch!" he shouted as Rey swore at him in a language Qui-Gon didn't immediately recognize.

Vos pressed the attack which Rey met unfailingly with her staff.

"Oh good," Dooku remarked, "They know each other."

Obi-Wan turned to Qui-Gon, "Should we stop them?"

Padawan Aayla Secura waved a blue hand at them, "They'll wear each other out, Quin has been wanting a real brawl with her since she saved our hides when we crossed the wrong representative of one of the Hutts."

Obi-Wan looked at her baffled, "She saved your lives? Then why are they-"

"What are you, a fucking butterfly now!?" Quinlan shouted as he hopped on his own ship to go after Rey.

He got a hold if his lightsaber again, and a green streak followed after Rey who stayed well outside of his reach.

"We saved her life, she saved ours, we maybe got her into trouble, and she maybe got us out of it. Let's just say that our mission on Tatooine was… eventful," Padawan Secura concluded.

Rey came speeding back toward them, and Obi-Wan's blue saber met green, as Quinlan came at them.

While locked, Rey swung her staff just below Quinlan's knee, and he went down with an expletive.

He turned off his saber and towered above Rey, and they began swearing at each other in a long stream of words in a language only found in the Outer Rim.

After a minute, they were rendered to simply glaring at one another.

If Rey wasn't small, she might have been intimidating, as it was, her expression was a bit comical in compassion to the muscled man who had likely scared a beast or two more savage than a scavenger with his current glare.

"Great," Obi-Wan said, "now that you two have kissed and made up, either of you care to explain how you two met?"

"He lost me a week's worth of work," Rey stated, turning her glare Obi-Wan.

"I saved your life from those Sand people."

She turned back to Quinlan, "You saved me? If memory serves than I saved _you_ and that was after I rescued you from the-"

"We would have been fine without your hel-"

"Without my help, you would have been blasted into smithereens!"

"Alright, alright," Qui-Gon interrupted. "Rey, this is _Master_ Quinlan Vos and his apprentice, Aayla Secura. Master Vos, this is my apprentice, Rey Palpatine."

"And here I thought you were going the opposite direction with Obi-Wan. Your scavenger is another Xanatos in the making."

Qui-Gon stepped forward in front of Rey, Quinlan backed up, his face showing that he regretted his loose tongue. "Are you going to help my Padawan with her psychometry or did I need to search elsewhere?"

Quinlan shook his head, "My apologies, Master Jinn. I said I would help, and I meant that, even if your apprentice is-"

"Quin," Rey stated in a harsh voice, "I swear, I will beat your ass and send you back to the Hutts wrapped in a ribbon if I have to."

Quinlan laughed, the tension dispelling between them. "Even if your Padawan is a massive pain in the ass."

"I guess not everyone likes Rey after all," Dooku said.

"I mean he isn't wrong," Obi-Wan said cheekily, receiving a glare from Rey.

Qui-Gon sighed.

It was going to be a long month.

* * *

Rey trained with Master Quinlan Vos every single night for a month.

He was as irritating as he had been when she met him on Tatooine, but not, she admitted even if only to herself, as bad as she had made him out to be.

She still didn't like him.

Throughout that month, she had five minor seizures and had more headaches than was pleasant. But the headaches she wasn't certain came from the psychometry or Quin.

Apparently Quin came from a race of people for whom psychometry was hereditary, while Rey's own ability was purely related to her connection with the Force, Force Echoes some called it.

She was no tracker, and her ability was precarious at best. It was something she would have to keep practising, but Quin gave her the foundation to keep herself from falling prey to any object she touched.

Everyone still warned her about being in places with tragic histories, and touching weapons or objects related to bloody horrors.

Rey was all too happy to heed that advice.

But through practice, she found that she could call upon the ability, the Force seemed to intermittently obey her requests for this skill.

To her, it seemed like she had the ability so the Force could talk to her more directly rather than it being a tool she could or should try to call upon for her own means.

She was okay with this, unlike Quin, she really didn't care for the ability, even as useful as he made it sound.

But her month was up and Quin had been thankfully reassigned to a new mission.

They ended up parting from Coruscant on the same day. Quin saluted Rey as she made to follow Obi-Wan and Master Jinn up the ramp.

"Be careful, Padawan Palpatine," Master Vos called to her in parting, "butterflies do not thrive in the ice and snow."

In return, she saluted him with a vulgar hand gesture, that had the man laughing as the hatch closed between them.

* * *

Ilum was cold.

Colder than cold.

Rey huddled in her layers that Qui-Gon insisted she wear. Now she wished she had more.

"You poor desert flower," Obi-Wan cooed.

"Obi-Wan, one day I'm going take you across the desert at high noon, and we'll see who is the wilting flower then."

He grinned at her, "I have been to desert planets other than Tatooine before."

She muttered something, but let it go. She swore to herself that she would spend the next month meditating for at least an hour before bed. Quin had rubbed her nerves down and she found herself cranky with her own irritability.

"We are almost there," Master Jinn said, his voice amused.

"So how do I tell which crystal wants to bind with me again?" she asked.

"Follow the Force," he said, as they reached the cave.

They stopped, waiting for her to enter first.

If she thought it would be warmer in the cave, she was mistaken. She looked back at them, "Aren't you coming?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, "This is a journey you must make on your own. You will have a vision, Rey, don't be afraid."

She looked down the long dark tunnel that yawned into a blackened unknown, then she back at her Master.

"What's in there?" and she didn't mean the kyber.

"Only what you bring with you."

She turned her back on them and followed the Force into the darkness.

oOo

She walked in darkness for a long time until she found the first kyber crystal, then the tunnel opened to a carven.

White kyber glowed like caught stars in a shimmering dome above her. She closed her eyes and the Force sang to her in a siren's call.

She was led to an off shoot, and through two more winding passage ways, before she found the two crystals that beckoned to her.

They were high on the ceiling and it took her a half an hour to climb up to them. She would have jumped up to them, but there was nothing to hold onto to displace the kinetic energy of the jump.

So climbing it was, not so different from scavenging star destroyers. She used the Force to work them gently from the stone, the two crystals had grown next to each other, never touching, but twins nonetheless.

Palming them in her hand, she flipped off the wall, landing lightly on the ground.

So much more fun than sliding down a rope.

Crossing her legs, and getting to work on her dual bladed saber right there, she closed her eyes.

The pieces she had found for this flowing the Force between her hands. Even with her eyes closed she could see the light of the kyber. She opened her eyes not to direct the pieces but to see the light change from white to a deep blue as the metal-encased them, joining the kyber together into an unbreakable unity as they were meant to be.

She let her eyes slide back shut as the final pieces found their rightful place.

Standing, she turned on the lightsaber.

A weapon only the Jedi could use, the blue light sang to life, humming through the air she danced with the saber that belonged to her.

And out of the darkness came red to match her blue.

She squeaked as a laugh echoed through the cavern, followed by the strange sound of someone breathing into a microphone.

"Belong? Is that what you think, young Palpatine?"

The red saber came down at her with unimaginable strength.

Trying not to panic, she called on the Force that came to her, allowing her to avoid the superior dueller.

A black mask shown in the blue and red light.

He was huge, and she let the fear he invoked in her go to the Force as she followed its instructions to avoid being sliced to bits.

She needed to get to Master Jinn and Obi-Wan, she reached for them in Force.

Again, that disturbing laughter, "You do not belong here, girl. This is not your time, they are not your Masters."

"Who are you?" she managed as she retreated further and further from the paths she knew.

"Do you think Qui-Gon Jinn loves you?" he asked, "You think you can trust them? Obi-Wan Kenobi was my Master and he betrayed me."

The stone beside her glowed molten as he slashed through it. She was losing, it was all she could do now to dodge his heavy blows.

"Jinn took you only because he thought you were the Chosen One, but he was wrong." His voice echoed around her, touching fears inside her she didn't know she had. "You are nothing."

"No!" she said, lashing out at him.

He laughed, "An abomination, a mistake. I am the Chosen One, you are the false hope."

She felt rage build in her, and she attacked him.

He Force pushed her, and she screamed as she fell back into a deep nothingness.

She hit the ground before she could slow her fall.

When next she opened her eyes, she found herself looking up into a sky of lightning without thunder.

Silence.

Perfect, obsolete silence. As an armada of arrow ships silhouetted against a sky of clouds. The lighting struck smaller targets, little bursts of flames, through the Force their cries of despair shimmered like a distant trill of chimes.

Then darkness consumed her. And from that darkness formed a throne of stone, herself dressed in black upon it. Her darker kin rose, her hips swaying, her foot falls heavy, resonating with enough power to tremble the stone beneath their feet.

From her side she pulled a duel hilted saber, igniting it into a blaze of red light and sweeping open into a pike. She held it out to Rey.

She did not know to be afraid until they both held the pike.

Fear, anger, hatred, and a wild sense of satisfaction.

This woman was not powerful.

She was power.

And yet she was in all her self-assurity and vindictive pleasure, nothing but a slave to that power.

Rey had known slavery, and she had known freedom. She had only ever found freedom in the Force.

She hadn't understood that the Force could be both the guard against subjugation as well as the slaver.

And then her reflection was gone and Rey held the pike two handed, casting everything in a red glow even as the lightning above continued to make a mockery of the blackened shadows.

She wanted to let go of the weapon, the kyber stones themselves seemed to be screaming, bleeding as if tortured by the same emotions savaging the limits of her own sanity.

Before her, between one lightning bolt and another, materialized a centipede of robotic parts, its head the corpse of a man.

"Strike me down!" It cried to her in jubilation.

She raised the red pike, it would be a mercy. Death was a natural part of life, whatever this thing was, it was not natural. As she brought down her weapon, he hissed, "And the Sith will live on through you."

Her sight left her, and she drowned in agony, in loathing, and in an ecstasy so cruel it shouted in victory.

A thousand lives breathed through her, the Sith, their power, their fear, the unwavering belief that death was beyond them. In her, they lived, and through them, she lived their betrayal. They had been offered everything and instead had given everything in return.

She tried to pull the Light to her, tried to comfort them as the pain threatened to destroy her.

She did not cast the Sith aside, she pulled them in so that she could moan who they had been.

She tried to offer comfort, strength, _solace_.

But her own heart was broken.

She could imagine no worse fate than to believe as they had that their hatred was their salvation, when instead they had damned themselves to eternal bondage.

Rey came to herself on the cold ground, curled around the unignited saber hilt. She twisted her fingers into the ground, the Darkness having followed her out from her vision

She still felt them, the Sith, and she began to cry, then sob into the ground beneath her. She took their pain, took it as her own and shoved it all back into the Light. The Force lashed back at her, crushing her flat until she felt as if her bones might splinter, but Rey did not reliant. She made the Force accept their pain, that hurt, those lost souls who could not believe in their own death. She forced into the Light what the Light had left to rot and fester in the Darkness. She gave the Living Force everything, gave it the dead it had turned aside, hoarded away to be forgotten.

By the time Master Jinn and Obi-Wan found her, she was unresponsive. She felt them, felt their worry, heard their voices wash over her like a gust of wind, but she could give no answer.

What was the point? What did she have left to believe in?

The Force sang at her in a mounting crescendo, begging for her response, beckoning her back into its embrace.

But Rey did not rise, did not reach for it. All her life it had been there for her, and these last few months… she had never known love or happiness such as she learned at the Jedi Temple.

But what faith could she have in the Force that would just as soon break her as cherish her?

* * *

AN: Reactions, thoughts, theories, please? The 100k challenge is still going :D


	10. Because it is the Light

AN: So I am starting to think this is the best fanfic I've ever written, I actually have this mapped out completely and have had to rewrite entire chapters because of changing ideas, so I have reached my 100K already but I am still determined to have 100k postable content by next Sunday. Please, please review, it helps so much and I can't thank you all enough.

Chapter 10 - Because it is the Light

Qui-Gon had had four apprentices in his life. Feemor who had made knight faster than most, Xanatos who killed himself rather than face punishment for his crimes, Obi-Wan who was, let's be honest, the perfect Padawan who Qui-Gon did not deserve, and Rey who never ceased to amaze.

So when he felt the first trickle of her fear, his heart twisted, knowing that this was a journey she had to face alone. Even when she called for help.

And he kept telling himself that until the bright sun that was Rey's near infinite compassion and energy went supernova, creating a black hole where only light should be.

Through the bond with Xanatos, Qui-Gon had felt his growing discontent, but he had not felt him fall to the Dark Side. The bond had broken when he had decided to leave.

But his connection to Rey remained as strong as ever, and a part of him wish it hadn't.

Qui-Gon had once almost fallen himself, but he hadn't-

Not _this_, he had not become this. Such pain, such hatred, and cruelty… such evil.

He had never known its like, and he almost fell to his knees and lost his lunch having that darkness roaring through the bonds.

Obi-Wan wasn't so lucky.

And then the tide changed, and Qui-Gon gasped as he felt Rey dying.

The Living Force itself turning on her as the evil within her was shoved outward.

He didn't understand, was she attacking the Force?

The bond grew slack, for lack of a better description, and Qui-Gon tried to get a handle on his own panic as he raced into the cave following that shadow, that residual light that was the Master and Padawan bond.

He wondered if they would find her dead, or merely dying.

The evil that had found her swirled in the Force like ink thrown into a clear pool. Qui-Gon was certain every Force sensitive in the galaxy must have felt it.

He ran faster, drawing on the Force, its power mirky, but no less strong.

The Force had been growing clouded for years, had been sick almost, now it felt injured.

Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan at his side as they had to slow down in order to make it through smaller passageways.

Rey had ventured deep.

Some of the stones they passed bore fresh saber scrapes, indicating that she had, at least partially, finished her own lightsaber.

_Unless someone had been down here waiting for her._

He suppressed the thought as they came to a hole.

He closed his eyes to gauge how deep it went. Had she fallen during her vision quest?

He and Obi-Wan jumped together.

Obi-Wan lit his saber, casting everything in black and blueish white lighting.

"Rey!" Obi-Wan cried as they spotted her curled on her side.

Qui-Gon put a hand out, holding his senior Padawan back. Obi-Wan stayed, raising his saber to better light the space.

"Rey," Qui-Gon called softly, "_Rey."_ He tried calling to her through the Force, but she made no response.

He touched a hand first to her shoulder then neck.

Her pulse was slow and weak, but he didn't think she was in danger of dying.

He pushed the Force into her, but there was no response, as if she wasn't a Force sensitive, as if she couldn't feel him calling to her, feel them shaking the bonds as if he could will it back to life.

But she wasn't dead, just- empty.

He felt for her injuries, nothing broken, but she would be bruised and hurting. He tried to focus on healing her neck, the back of her head, but it was difficult.

Healing other Force Sensitives was supposed to be easier.

But there was a discordance around Rey, as if the Force was trying to connect with her as much as he was.

Not wholly satisfied but deciding this was past his capabilities, he gently picked her up.

"Rey?" he asked, her eyes were open, looking at him.

"Rey?" he tried again.

Obi-Wan approached then, he touched her forehead, and in the blue light, Qui-Gon saw her eyes track him.

"Rey," Obi-Wan begged, "Please say something? You feel hollow within the Force."

Not light or dark, she felt hollow, like a shell washed clean as the waves swirled it along the sand.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon called to him, "We need to go."

He nodded his head too rapidly before stooping to pick an elongated hilt off the ground.

Qui-Gon pulled on the Force and sprang upwards, careful to use the Force to soften their impact.

He felt Rey curl against him, and he looked down in time to see her close her eyes.

_She moved voluntarily,_ he thought at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan asked aloud as they made their way back through the tunnels, feeling even longer now that they couldn't run, "What happened to her?"

"I don't know."

"What was that that went through her, it was… awful."

"I don't know," Qui-Gon repeated, focusing most of his energy on monitoring Rey's condition.

She seemed stable, but she wasn't in good condition. There was something terribly wrong and it went beyond the physical.

"Do you think there was someone down there? I didn't sense anyone."

"I don't know, Padawan mine, I do not know."

He had only one idea, something the Guardian of the Whills had informed him of, and he didn't at all like that idea.

And he knew for certain it would not alleviate Obi-Wan's concerns.

They finally made it to the ship, and when Qui-Gon went to lay Rey down she sat up.

Obi-Wan rushed to her side, "Rey?" He tugged on her braid, "Come on, Rey, talk to us."

Qui-Gon's heart clenched. "Obi-Wan, bring us back to Coruscant."

Obi-Wan was the better pilot and he could get them there quicker than Qui-Gon could.

Obi-Wan looked torn, but he did as he was told, touching her shoulder as he left.

Qui-Gon swivelled one of the chair's seat to face her and buckled her in.

She made no move to aid or hinder him, just as she seemed to be not reacting to the Force.

But her hazel eyes watched him and she didn't seem dazed.

No, her mind was there, working over some problem that seemed to overwhelm her with hopelessness.

And that's what it was, he realized.

She hadn't turned to the Dark Side, at least she wasn't consumed with it now. No, she had lost hope.

Rey, who could look death in the face and laugh joyously at Obi-Wan's sarcastic remark on their delightful doom, had lost hope.

He thought it would have been easier to pull her back from the Darkness than this, because he couldn't for the life of him understand what would cause this reaction.

He took her hands and turned them palms up, resting on her knees. He then laid his palms on hers, so that their fingers laid on each other's wrists. Her pulse had evened some. Her hands were cold from taking off her gloves, left behind in Ilum.

"Did I ever tell you of Tahl?" he asked. "The first and only woman I ever loved?"

Rey's eyes focused on him more solidly.

He waited for her to say something but she made no answer, not even a shake of the head.

He continued, "We grew up together. She was absolutely incredible, her connection to the Force, not her power, but her sensitivity to it, was unparalleled."

Rey watched him, her mood did not change, but she was listening, that much he could tell.

So he went on. He kept his voice even, deep, and he took long pauses, inviting her to ask questions.

She never spoke.

Qui-Gon hadn't talked about Tahl in depth in a very long time, in fact, he didn't think he ever had. Not like this, not to immortalize her stories in the memories of anyone else. He knew Obi-Wan was listening as well.

Qui-Gon didn't stop speaking, nor did he fight to suppress his emotions the memories brought, he let them feed into the Padawan bonds and let the Force sweep away the excess.

Obi-Wan was as quiet as Rey.

By the time they reached Coruscant, he was in deep need of a hot cup of tea with lemon.

Rey had yet to utter a syllable but her hands had wrapped around his wrists to give him comfort.

She was going to be alright, whatever happened to her in that vision, with the Force, his youngest Padawan was going to be alright.

Obi-Wan must have felt his relief because his expression went from concerned to murderous when Mace greeted them on the platform.

"The Council has requested your presence," Mace said, eyeing Rey whose expression expressed nothing.

"She needs a healer," Obi-Wan said, without a hint of his typical deference to the Council.

They would make a maverick out of him yet.

"She's walking," Mace noted, "Depa can see to her."

Rey was walking on her own following Qui-Gon like a lost initiate.

Obi-Wan took her hand and they both gave a say of relief when she wrapped her hand around his.

Qui-Gon thought she needed sleep, and that they all needed tea. But he nodded to Mace, even as they went to the Council chambers they could feel the Force fluctuating. And at the apex of that changing, Rey.

She was like ground zero of an explosion, the Force churning around her like radiation.

But somehow, it didn't seem to be affecting her, she wasn't closed off from it, she was indifferent towards it.

When they got to the room, Dooku offered his own seat at once as Mace motioned to Depa.

"Get her jacket off," she ordered.

Obi-Wan helped Rey whose version of helping was holding back her arms so he could slip the layers off. When she was left in her regular tunic, Depa stood behind her and healed what remained of the bruises.

"She hit the ground hard, but she sustained no serious injuries, not even a concussion, her lower half took most of the impact. However, something is wrong with her connection to the Force."

And that's when it started. Everyone tried everything they could think of to get Rey to talk, excluding Dooku and Sifo-Dyas who stood at Qui-Gon's side.

Rey watched everyone who spoke to her, watched them as if she had nothing to give them, as if what she had seen were beyond comprehension.

It was breaking his heart, because a part of him knew she was changed by her vision quest, but he also knew something more had happened.

* * *

Obi-Wan couldn't wrap his head around what had happened.

Rey had been in danger and they had held back.

He was never going to ignore a call for help again from her, ever.

And he was getting annoyed with the Council, even if he wanted to shake Rey himself.

Apparently, he and Qui-Gon hadn't been the only ones aware of Rey's encounter with the Dark Side.

Obi-Wan suspected that Qui-Gon knew something he wasn't sharing, so, it seemed, did Master Dooku who was watching his old apprentice with a narrowed gaze.

Unable to take it any longer, he asked, "What happened to her? Why is her connection to the Force so… she hasn't cut herself off from him."

Dooku answered him, "No, its if her connection is a rope in her hands, she holds it still but her fingers are open, neither casting the tether aside or grasping the lifeline."

"Speak you must, Padawan Palpatine," Yoda declared, coming to stand by Rey.

She, predictably, said nothing.

Obi-Wan saw it coming before Yoda had begun the motion, his voice was echoed by Qui-Gon's, "Yoda, don't!"

His walking stick came down against Rey's left knee.

The change in her was instantaneous.

Obi-Wan had enough to think, _Idiot,_ before Rey was in a crouch, her arm extended, launching the little green master soaring across the room. Mace the closest to him, also got pushed back.

Yoda spun in the air, pushing himself off the wall, he flipped back to the centre of the room and threw out his own clawed hand.

Rey was sent tumbling back with the chairs.

She came back to her feet, 'the rope' as Dooku had called it, was no longer slack in her hands.

The Padawan and Master bonds sang, like a strung bow. But the energy itself, she wasn't drawing from the Light or the Dark, she was drawing from both the Light _and_ the Dark.

It swirled through her, through them, and Obi-Wan shivered, there was no control here. He felt her emotions again, as if she had been in sleep mode, and now woken with a computer virus.

Yoda pulled his saber.

And Rey pulled on the Force, her anger at being drawn on calling to the Darkness like bees to syrup.

"Control, young Padawan, speak with you only, I wish."

She wasn't listening now though, Obi-Wan felt the conflict within her, he could just barely glimpse her thoughts.

She wasn't thinking in coherent sentences, she was trying to come to terms with what the Force was, what was flowing through her now, and if she were being controlled by it.

Obi-Wan exchanged a look with Qui-Gon.

_She doesn't understand._

She was panting with the effort of holding so much power, shaking with restraining herself from acting one way or the other

"The Dark Side have you fallen," Yoda said.

Obi-Wan glared at the Master. Couldn't he see the Light still shining in her? She hadn't fallen, she was channelling both.

Which he wasn't really sure how that was possible, but he looked at Mace, he used both, didn't he?

Mace was staring at Rey too, "Easy Padawan, we just need you to tell us what you did to the Force."

Her gaze sharpened on him, her expression -furious.

Obi-Wan saw Mace tense.

The first words Rey uttered did nothing to bring down the tension: "Who are the Sith?"

Mace pulled his own lightsaber, the purple swishing to life.

Obi-Wan was too slow to catch Rey's saber from where she pulled it from his side. Two beams of light ignited from either end of her duel blade.

_Blue,_ Qui-Gon sighed through their bonds, before stepping forward, "Enough! All of you enough. Rey, power down."

She turned off the saber, straightening from her crouch, but the Force remained agitated around her even as Yoda and Mace powered down their sabers.

"Who are the Sith?" she asked again.

"Powerful Force sensitives that operated on the Dark Side of the Force," Qui-Gon explained, his tone even.

She shook her head, "Why? Why…"

"Sworn enemies of the Jedi, they were," Yoda said. "Long dead, long gone are they."

"How could the Force do that to them?"

"Do what to them?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised at the concern in her voice.

"Enslave them?" she asked, her gaze meeting his with a world of sorrow. More sorrowful even than she had been at her father's betrayal.

He stared at her, and it seemed no one in the room had answered, the question was… bizarre.

"Misunderstand, you have," this from Yoda who knew exactly what to say.

Rey's emotions rose like sparks from a broken log in a fire, "I felt it. I felt their pain, their betrayal! How could the Force do that to them!?" Her voice was panicked now, and Obi-Wan was getting whiplash from just the backlash of her feelings.

"Because it is what the Sith did to the Force," Dooku said, stepping toward her without hesitation.

"What?" she asked.

"The Force is alive, young Padawan. And like all living things it has both Darkness and Light. Despite what many in this room would tell you, the Dark is just as natural as the Light. But extremes are always wrong. The power of the Dark Side is aggressive in nature, predatory, just as the Light is a healing source, one of defence. But the Dark Side is addictive, to wield it without slipping, without losing yourself to the call to power? Well, it is like any other source of great power, it corrupts."

"Why?" she asked, "no one deserves that- what I felt. Their- it was-" she couldn't seem to finish a thought.

Dooku stepped closer, "The Sith are more than Dark Siders, they don't just use their dark emotions to fuel their connection to the Force, they _take_ from the Force."

"Take? Don't we all take from it?"

"Yes, but the Jedi teach their pupils to become one with the Force, in essence, you can only take as much as you have to give. To be one with the Force is more than a phrase. At a Jedi's most powerful, they are able to channel as much as their mind and body can handle."

"A Sith's?" she asked.

"The Sith go beyond their limits, willing to take on the pain to exceed them, and thus creating an imbalance that the Force itself must compensate. It is no longer the individual's pain, but the Force's pain. This is immensely powerful but-"

"There's no control," she supplied, her gaze going distant, "and if they don't have control, then the Force takes control."

"As the Sith take power that does not belong to them," Dooku finished. "The Dark Side is more powerful for fighting, it is its nature, but the draw to take more than you have, will always be there."

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself, her saber still in her hand, "I don't understand, why would anyone want to do that?"

Dooku gave her an odd look, "For power, with power people believe they can solve anything."

"But if they just trusted the Force…" she said, her voice trailing off as she looked inward.

Obi-Wan joined Dooku in the look they gave Qui-Gon who remained stoic.

Plo Koon asked, "If you don't understand the draw of the Dark Side, Padawan Palpatine, why are you drawing on it now?"

This startled Rey, her connection with the Force wavered.

"Breathe," Qui-Gon instructed, "Focus on your breath, let the emotions go."

She centred herself, and Obi-Wan sighed in relief when her connection to the Force went back to normal. She was bright a star as ever, the newly released darkness in the Force just made her shine that must brighter. Their bonds too, were back to what they had been, perhaps a bit more solid, but that could just be him missing the connection from the long ship ride back.

"Did someone attack you on Ilum?" Obi-Wan asked her.

She looked at him, "Yes, there was- it was odd. I mean before the Sith, I was attacked. Obi-Wan you would have to be a knight before you were able to take on a Padawan correct?"

"That's right-" he answered before Qui-Gon cut him off.

"She doesn't need to share our vision with us, such a thing is not done."

Yoda frowned, "I think in this, she must. A normal vision it was not."

"Her privacy should not be violated like this," Qui-Gon argued. He looked to Rey, "Vision quests for our sabers are Force given. Sometimes glimpsing the past, the future, what might have been, will be, or might never be, and it always reflects pieces of our deepest fears, fears that you might not even know you had."

Rey shrugged, "I don't mind, most of it didn't make sense."

"Tell she must," Yoda insisted.

Depa shook her head, "Not all of the Council needs to be here. Yoda, Mace, Dooku, and I think even Sifo-Dyas should remain, but the rest of us will trust in Master Yoda's discretion."

"Agreed," Plo Koon said, echoed by the others who bowed before leaving.

Rey looked a bit lost, her arms still wrapped around herself.

Obi-Wan went to her, putting his arms around her.

She sighed, and leaned into him.

"You scared me," he whispered.

She embraced him then, holding him tight, "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan."

Qui-Gon came to them then, putting a hand to her shoulder. "Perhaps we can move somewhere less ceremonial. I think myself and my Padawans are in need of a good cup of tea."

Mace sighed, "Fine, but don't think you can get out of this talk, Qui-Gon."

Qui-Gon said nothing as they filed out the room.

Yoda's meditation room wasn't far. Reluctantly, Obi-Wan left Rey's side to make tea for everyone.

When they were all seated, tea cups in hand, Yoda said, "Sorry I am, Padawan Palpatine, but from the beginning, you must start."

Cupping both hands around the clay cup, Rey said gaze focused on the tea, "I finished making my lightsaber before a giant attacked me."

"A giant?" Mace asked.

She frowned, "He was huge, bigger than Master Jinn, but even with the breathing apparatus, I think he was human."

"Think you?" Yoda asked, "See him you did not."

She shook her head, "No, he was wearing a helmet and all black armour, he was impossibly strong."

"And who was this man to you?" Mace asked.

"He said Master Jinn brought me to the Temple only because he thought I was the 'Chosen One,' but that was wrong. He said he was the Chosen One and I was nothing but the False Hope. He said Obi-Wan Kenobi was his Master. He warned I would be betrayed as he had been."

"But I've never had a Padawan," Obi-Wan said, frowning at hearing Rey even say that they would betray her or that Qui-Gon would only choose her for being the Chosen One.

"Sounds like another future," Sifo-Dyas remarked, "some realities have such potential to exist, that even if they don't come to pass, they leave an impression on the world. Perhaps this 'giant' was who would have been taught by Obi-Wan had you not appeared in his place."

Obi-Wan sent the prophet a grateful look, he didn't want Rey analyzing the Chosen One thing too hard, and everyone else seemed to feel the same, because Yoda asked, "And this duel? How end, did it?"

"He was winning, he was- unrelenting, and his blows were so heavy. I had to back up, he manoeuvred me deep into the caves, deeper than I had wanted to go."

"And then?"

"He Force pushed me and I fell down a hole."

"Gravely injured were you? Unable to fight?"

She tilted her head, "I hurt but- when I opened my eyes, I saw a sky of lightning with thousands of Star Destroyers. And then… I saw myself on a throne, but I was dressed in black and she was… she was a slave to the Force. So powerful, but a slave. I pitied her. She gave her saber to me but it was different from the one I had built. It folded open in the middle. When I held it I- she disappeared, and then this thing appeared, it was a corpse with someone living trapped inside, he asked me to slay him."

"Did you?" Mace asked.

"Of course."

"Because it was evil?" Mace asked, fishing for her hubris.

"Because it was unnatural, only as I brought the saber down, he said 'And the Sith will live on through you,' and that's when-" her voice cut off.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon put a hand on her shoulders. When she looked up at Mace, tears were trailing down her face, "And I felt them. I don't care if they were evil in their lives, _no one,_ deserves an eternity of that. They were outside life and death, they were…" she shut her eyes, "tortured."

"Channel them you did," Yoda stated.

She nodded, and Obi-Wan felt his gut turn, he had felt the echo of that, the pain, the fear, and the hatred. He sipped his tea, trying to keep the bile down.

"Power you had," Yoda went on, "of all the Sith. Yet keep this power you did not?"

She frowned at him, "No, I tried to -I don't know- comfort them, heal them, but that was beyond me, so I gave them back to the Living Force."

It took Obi-Wan a few moments until he understood what she was saying, but when he did…

"I'm sorry," Mace interrupted, "Are you telling us, you had unlimited power in the galaxy and you just gave it up?"

"Why would I choose slavery? Why would I give up my freedom for a lie?" she asked. "The Sith think they can have everything but in reality they only lose everything they might have had, including themselves."

Obi-Wan smiled, "See, I told you that you were born to be a Jedi."

She turned to him with a smile, her eyes were still pinched around the edges, but it was their Rey smiling at him.

She was going to be okay.

"To the Sith, what became of them?" Yoda asked.

"I killed them," she said without malice.

Yoda raised his brows, "Oh-ho, and the best for others, think you know?"

"They were already dead, Master Yoda, but they couldn't move on, they were trapped in the Dark."

"You almost died," Qui-Gon said, "I felt you almost die."

"The Light didn't want them."

"But you forced the Darkness into the Light?" Dooku asked.

"Because they weren't meant to be separate and they couldn't move on their own, I freed them."

"And if they didn't want to be freed?" Mace asked.

She shrugged, "Well, maybe they shouldn't have tried to possess me. If they wanted me to feel their pain, they should have thought of how I would react to it."

"Fought you, the Force did," Yoda noted, "stop you, it did not."

"The Light fought me, Master, but the Force was with me."

"With your life paid, you might have."

She looked at him, "Could you have felt such anguish and done nothing?"

"Most would have turned it away, run from it," Mace asked.

"But she didn't know to be afraid of the Dark," Dooku noted, "not in the way we are traditionally taught in the Temple."

"Hurt the Force you have," Yoda stated.

Obi-Wan flinched, that didn't sound good.

"Still bleed it does."

Definitely, not good, he thought.

But Qui-Gon said, "No, Rey hasn't hurt the Force, she punctured an abscess. The Sith ghosts have caused pain to bleed out into the Force, but the infection must drain before it can heal. As Master Dooku says, the Force is not all light, the Force is the Light and the Darkness."

"How did you know how to exercise the Sith shades?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

She blinked at him, "I did what Master Jinn taught me to, I gave my emotions to the Force."

There was a silence, and everyone but for Rey turned to look at Qui-Gon. This time his stoic expression was cracking around the edges as he fought not to smile.

Obi-Wan thought at him, _Pleased with yourself?_

Qui-Gon shot back, _Maybe you will listen better to my words of wisdom now?_

Even as Sifo-Dyas shook his head, "All those years you lectured us about the Living Force. We thought it was a fine turn of events when your Padawan Kenobi's way of rebelling against you was to become the perfect rule abiding Jedi, but it seems the tables have turned. You're given the most powerful apprentice in the Order able to prove how we thought to fight the Dark wasn't enough, not by half."

Rey frowned at him, "I'm not the most powerful anything, Obi-Wan is better than me."

"You are more powerful, Rey," Dooku said fondly, "than Master Yoda."

Obi-Wan covered his mouth to suppress a laugh at the consternation on Rey's face.

"No, I'm not, I couldn't beat Obi-Wan, and certainly not Master Yoda."

"Come now, Padawan Palpatine," Mace said, crossing his arms, "You can't be that naive."

She stiffened, "I'm not that powerful, and I wouldn't want to be more powerful than Master Yoda."

"Why not?" Dooku asked, eyes twinkling.

"It seems exhausting," she stated.

Obi-Wan snorted and Qui-Gon laughed, Dooku put a hand to his beard to cover a smile.

Yoda made a hmmm sound.

Mace was unconvinced, "Do you truly not understand how remarkable your powers are?"

"I have a connection to the Force, Master Windu, that is a blessing, but the Force itself is remarkable. The Force is what is infinite, not me."

"False humility."

Obi-Wan shook his head at Mace as Rey began to look irritated.

"Obi-Wan and Master Jinn are more powerful and competent than me, that isn't false humility that is fact."

"Perhaps, but you have the potential to be more than either."

"I don't believe that," she said.

Obi-Wan took her hand, "He's right, Rey. You are more powerful than us."

She looked at him, her eyes bewildered, "I don't understand what you mean. I've only had a year of training."

Mace opened his mouth again, but Qui-Gon motioned him to silence with a hand, "Alright, now I think it is time my Padawans get some rest."

Yoda nodded, "Fallen to the Darkness, she has not, tempted, she was not. But aptitude you have, young Padawan, careful you must be."

She looked wary at this advice as she stood and bowed to the gathered Masters.

Obi-Wan followed her lead, but Qui-Gon caught Rey's hand, "We follow the Light, not because it will lead us to victory, but because it is the Light."

She bowed to him, "Thank you, Master Jinn."

Obi-Wan shared a look with Qui-Gon.

Rey had almost died today, but she was alright, _they _were alright.

Even if the insanity was only beginning.

Obi-Wan walked back with her, thinking to himself that their first mission was destined to be crazy.

* * *

Dooku watched his old Padawan depart to his after a few parting remarks from Mace.

Yoda sighed, "A true Knight, Qui-Gon is. Forever on his own quest."

"And his Padawans will follow after him, treading their own paths," Dooku remarked.

Sifo-Dyas ran a thumb over his chin in thought, "The future is more unclear than ever. Whatever she did to the Force…" he sighed deeply, "I can't tell if it was a major shift or if it was what the Force was waiting for. She could have fallen today, and with the knowledge of all the Sith shades, she might have turned on Qui-Gon. It is lucky she saw the trap of power."

"A slave once she was," Yoda remarked, "die she would before became that again she would, but worry still I do."

Mace nodded, "There is different training one needs to handle the Dark Side, that she was able to call its power so easily without being swayed… it is both a good sign, and may mean she could fall without realizing it."

"This does not worry me," Dooku remarked, "what concerns me is the existence of Sith shades that are separate from objects. We all knew Sith artifacts could hold memories of them, but we had yet to confirm what Qui-Gon learned from the Guardians of the Whills. If those shades were accessible through communing with the Force…"

"The knowledge of the Sith, die with them it did not," Yoda said gravely.

"The growing Darkness in the Force," Sifo-Dyas said, "I saw war. I thought we would need an army, and maybe we will. But an army will not help us against the Sith if they are truly back."

"Large the galaxy is," Yoda said.

Dooku stood to look out the windows at the passing traffic. He wished for the quiet of Serreno more now than ever, "Qui-Gon believes the Jedi should leave the Temple. Find another planet less wind up with wealth, politics, and crime."

"Four thosand years the Jedi here have remained, run from the Sith we will not."

"All extremes are ill Master," he said, turning to the grandmaster, "if the Sith are the extreme of the Dark then what is the extreme of the Light?"

Yoda frowned, "I know not, been so good as so evil has anyone?"

Dooku looked back to the skyline, his hands folded behind him, "If the oppisite of the Sith and their evil actions, it must be the Jedi's well intentioned inaction."

"A fault, patience is not," Yoda reproached him.

Dooku didn't turn back to face him, "When the Sith died, the Jedi stopped advancing, we grew complacent within these walls. We became a tool to the Republic rather than agents of the Force."

Mace stood, "We are not politicains, Dooku."

"No, we are the peacekeepers, and as Sifo-Dyas has foreseen, peace shall not last within our lifetimes. What will the Jedi do when war is waged?"

"Maybe there wouldn't be a brewing war if you weren't supporting the Separatist movement," Mace shot back.

"The Separatists are nothing more than a voice to bring light to those who the Republic is failing," he turned back to them, squaring his feet, "to the people who the Jedi are failing."

"Democracy must be-"

"Is it Democracy if the few outway the many?" Dooku asked, "We need to know our answer to the matter of war. Who will we support, what role will we play, what does the Living Force expect us to do?"

Mace rubbed his temples, "I do not know who is worse, you or Qui-Gon."

Sifo-Dyas chuckled, "I think Obi-Wan will overshadow them both one day."

"Obi-Wan is no maverick," Mace declared.

"Perhaps," Sifo-Dyas said lightly, "or perhaps he will be the medium to which the Jedi Order learns to understand our mystics." He said the last with gesture to Dooku.

Dooku quirked a brow, "Fallen I may have been, but not a maverick."

Sifo-Dyas waved a hand, "Whatever you say, my old friend. What was your point in moving the Jedi from Coruscant?"

"The Jedi must change, and we must know our response to the Republic before they make a request in regards to suppressing war. And we must know our answer soon."

"Why?" Mace asked, "Why now when we don't know for certain if war will strike?"

"War is like decease, we must be prepared. Because if the Sith have survived, then what better time to strike than when we are deliberating during a rising galactic war?"

The four Council members exchanged looks, knowing that the four of them coming to an agreement would take time, but the entire Council?

Dooku sighed, he was happy to be back, to see the chaos his Qui-Gon left in his wake, but the constant up hill battle was less than desirable.

But he remained because he had real hope that Jedi could change. He only hoped they could be moved to change before disaster struck.

* * *

AN: Thoughts and reactions for this developing writer, pretty please?


	11. A Cup of Tea

AN: Welp, I'm out of two jobs: thanks, Obama. I jest, America's entire government is stupid. My heart goes out to everyone dealing with sickness and faulty leadership. You're not alone.

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ANII: And here's a 25 page, 9,000 word long chapter for your entertainment pleasure, thank you to reviewers supporting me! I wouldn't be here without you!

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Chapter 11 - A Cup of Tea

Darth Sidious was many things, happy wasn't one of them.

The Force was darker than it had ever been, which was good, or should have been, however, he had felt the passing of the Sith shades.

The call from Darth Plagueis had not been far behind.

"Master?" Maul asked, his pet's concern visible.

Sidious had neither the time nor the patience, "Find her Maul, I want to know what she had to do with this."

"The girl hasn't left her Temple-"

"Did I ask for your excuses, apprentice?" Sidious asked, nearing the Zabrak.

Maul flinched back, expecting pain, "No, Master. But to do with what?"

"The disturbance in the Force, you fool."

"How do you know it was her?"

Sidious sneered at him, "Because no one else has the strength nor the inclination. And as she is my daughter, her connection to the Dark Side is to be expected."

He felt Maul's shock, "Your daughter, Master?"

"I thought you were watching for her, every politician has spoken of little else to me of late. My daughter this, Padawan Palpatine that. Her accursed Master, and now even the Jedi Council won't allow me to speak to her." He sighed, he had no legal ground to push the matter. Already the rumour that he had conceived the child with a slave from Tatooine was tarnishing his reputation.

"How do you suggest I lure her out, Master?"

"That is for you to solve, Lord Maul," he sneered at him, "I have larger concerns."

Maul bowed, and Sidious left him, knowing his apprentice was useless in this task.

No daughter of his would ever consort with a species like a Zabrak. Sidious went to his ship to meet with a Muun.

Queen Amidala's impending doom was still a year out, convincing her successor to elect him High Chancellor wasn't far now.

One more stepping stone, and then the next time he went to see his "Master" it would be to end him.

oOo

Bowing before Darth Plagueis in the Muun's personal office, Sidious felt his brewing rage.

"Apprentice."

"Master," Sidious said, suppressing a sneer.

Hego Damask II walked by him without telling him to rise. Sidious had played this game too many times, and so he did not rise.

"Such rumours I've heard, apprentice."

Sidious said nothing.

The Muun sighed, his breathing apparatus garbling the sound, "Rise, Darth Sidious."

Sidious rose and asked, "Rumours, Darth Plagueis?"

"You did not tell me you had any offspring."

"I did know-" Sidious choked, putting a hand to his chest as Plagueis compressed his rib cage with the Force. His mind spun as he pulled on his hatred to build up his shield, he gasped as he relieved the pressure.

Plagueis lowered his long fingered fist, "After everything I taught you of the Force, of genetics, one would _think_ you would not be so careless."

"I do not know who the mother is."

Plagueis towered over him, Sidious had to strain his neck to look upward, "A daughter who was born from your chromosomes, may have the same potential as you do, perhaps more. And now she serves the Jedi."

Sidious stiffened, "The girl is nothing."

"The girl destroyed thousands of years of Sith knowledge!" Plagueis roared, stalking away from him. "I do not know if the Jedi know, if _she_ knows what she did. But I do know two things."

"You know what, Darth Plagueis?"

Yellow eyes rimmed in red turned to him, narrowed in disgust.

_The feeling, _Sidious thought as he kept his own expression neutral, _is mutual._

"I know, apprentice of mine, that the Sith shades saw Rey Palpatine as a suitable vessel, meaning that her connection to the Dark Side is developed. I also know that she should be dead. But somehow, this child's shields were weak enough for her to be possessed, yet she was powerful enough to cast them into the Light. Do you have any concept of the ramifications of that?"

Sidious gritted his teeth, "I had thought to turn her. She is too old for the Jedi methods to work."

"You would take her as an apprentice," Plagueis stated, "certainly she is more deserving than your pet. The Zabrak is disposable, your daughter is a font of potential."

Sidious nodded, having never planned on a legacy, it was odd discussing family once more. He remembered the child's face, and had to close his eyes.

Rey looked too much like his sisters and mother, he would have rather killed her than teach her.

"I perceive your thoughts, student, but this seed you've planted is an opportunity, children are malleable. Emperor Vitiate made use of his spawn."

A thrill went through him, Vitiate had been among the greatest of the Sith. A human male who had lived a thousand years whose strength went well beyond the weaknesses of Darth Plagueis.

The Muun went on, "I have heard little about this child. That she was nineteen when she was inducted into the Order, that she was realized as your daughter, and that she blew a hole through a Temple wall."

Sidious suppressed a smile at the last, "Lightning, Force lightning, my daughter is a power."

Plagueis looked interested at this, "Truly? Perhaps… no, that is curious. What of her Master? Who among the Jedi teaches her?"

"Qui-Gon Jinn."

"Jinn," Plagueis snarled, then cursed in his native speech.

"You've met him, I presume."

Plagueis paced, "I had the misfortune. His Master, Dooku was tolerable, and Sifo-Dyas was easy enough to manipulate, but Qui-Gon Jinn was…"

Sidious frowned, not having had much dealing with the Jedi Master aside from their recent corrspondance regarding his daughter. Jinn was a known maverick in the Jedi Order. But if the crap Amidala had been spewing was in any way related to his council, then he could imagine why Plagueis detested the man.

"He is as keen as he is contrary, a Jedi mystic, and a problem."

"Does he need to be taken care of?"

"No, not with his Master returned to the Order. Dooku holds both a place on the Council and as Count of his home world, any attack against his prized pupil will be investigated to no end. Warn your pet of this, I know the bloodlust you filled him with. But mark me, Darth Sidious, we cannot afford to make an open move against Jinn now that he has gained the ear of the Council."

"And Naboo, Queen Amidala is rather taken with the Count's advice and even a word of direction from Jinn himself."

Plagueis narrowed his gaze on him, "You are slipping, student, losing control."

"I'm handling it, my plans have not changed, they have only been delayed."

"Handled?" Plagueis laughed, "Fool you are, and here I had such hopes for you, my apprentice. The Force itself has been changed and you think you are still in control."

Sidious flexed his hands, not wanting to admit the roadblocks Jinn had already put in his path nor the unexpected restraining order the Jedi Council had put in place.

"Nothing to say, Darth Sidious?" Plagueis mocked, stalking forward, his robes twirling around his long legs.

"What would you have of me, _Master?_"

Plagueis backhanded him.

Sidious rocked back, his Master's speed and strength enhanced by the Dark Side of the Force well beyond what the Muun's frail body indicated.

Catching himself on the floor, loathing swelled in Sidious. He was no longer a child to be batted around.

His own self-respect didn't allow for it.

Sidious came up, shoving a blast of the Force toward his Master, attacking Plagueis's personal shields.

It had been a long time since they last fought against each other or together.

Plagueis braced, a grunt escaping through his mask, but Sidious had underestimated how much power his Master had retained.

"Insolent child, my apprentice you still remain, my equal you are not," Plagueis intoned.

Sidious didn't have time to brace as a wave of the Force battered at his ankles and a cabinet draw came soaring at the back of his head.

He dropped, his feet swept back so his knees and hands took the impact with enough momentum he thought he sprained his wrists.

But he didn't have time to dwell on it as the cabinet came crashing down, he rolled, but the splinting wood shot against his back as it broke against the marble floors.

Sidious sat up and didn't waste time on standing, he pooled his rage, his hatred for this subspecies of being. He let it fuel his lightning, his power.

Plagueis fell to his knees as he was caught in the palazying power.

"Fool!" Sidious cackled, standing as his power built, "You taught me everything you knew!"

Plagueis got a hand between them, and suddenly, Sidious's lightning was being met by another.

The Muun panted through his apparatus, "Not by half, _student."_

On his last word, Sidious felt a shard of wood stab under his armpit. He jerked but kept the stream of lightning.

What had started as a reproach would end in a death, and Sidious would not be the one to lose, no one was stronger than him.

_No one._

A desk came soaring toward him and he turned in time to avoid it, but not in time dodge the twenty odd shards of wood that raced toward him.

He covered his face, bringing his forearms together. The wood came at such speeds it cut through his sleeves and he had the breath knocked out of him as a bigger slab rammed upward into his stomach and diaphragm.

The Force hummed in warning as the table came back around.

Sidious crouched, using the pain from his injuries to further strengthen him.

This is why the Jedi would always lose, the longer the Sith duelled the more powerful they became.

He struck the Muun with another stream of lightning.

Only for the blasted creature to cast the energy to the side.

Sidious didn't have time to dodge the table that flattened him to the ground. He pushed against it with the Force and the cursed wood shards as they came back at his face.

Sidious caught those too, splitting his focus as he dragged a statue from a shelf.

Plagueis stepped to the side smoothly and directed the statue, clapping Sidious on the side of the head.

Concentration broken, the table came down on him.

Once.

Twice.

And then a third time, the corner came down on his middle.

Sidious screamed as things inside him tore, he used the sharp edged pain, dragging the Force through it.

He felt the Force surpass his scream, as it writhed in his grasp, he pulled harder, pushing the table back, shoving it at Plagueis.

But though the table went flying into the wall, Plagueis came closer, unharmed.

"Was that your attempt to kill me, student? Perhaps Maul is weak as he is not because he lacks potential, but because you," he stepped on Sidious's throat, "lack vision."

Sidious reached a hand out for a lightsaber but Plagueis powered through his shields, and Sidious might have screamed again if it wasn't for the shoe on his windpipe.

The only things that could be heard in the room were the sounds of his wrist breaking and Plagueis's filtered laugh. "I should kill you for your impudence, but perhaps I have been too soft on you, too lax in my own lessons. It seems I still have much to teach you."

Sidious was seething as he struggled to hold the Force, even as his vision was eaten away by black and white spots.

"Tsk, tsk, it's been a long time since you've been to my labs, _Sheev._"

Fury and panic swept through Sidious. He used those emotions, wild as they were. His unbroken hand ignited the golden saber, the red beam coming to life in his blurring vision.

Again, Plagueis laughed.

It wasn't his hand that broke this time but his fingers, then bones in his arm began to fracture, worse than the clean breaks.

The pain was past endurance, but Sidious tried one last time to use the Force.

But the Force itself fought him.

"Fascinating," Plagueis mused, "it seems your daughter not only killed our shades but has awoken the Force itself. Such science to explore."

Sidious gathered himself, readying himself for death. The Muun's body was far from ideal, but desperate times…

Plagueis lifted his foot, "Oh my little Sheev, do you think your death will be so easy?"

Sidious gasped as his lungs expanded, his throat was on fire to say nothing of his shattered right arm and left broken wrist. He turned to cough up blood before he could drown in it.

"I put too much work into you, student. You will survive this, as you will survive the lessons I will teach you in my laboratory."

Sidious embraced his pain, only for Plagueis to squeeze his very lungs within his chest before he could grasp the Force. His heart raced even as his breathing stopped.

"But perhaps your daughter will serve me better. The woman who killed the Sith will be its true heir. She will serve me, not as your daughter but as the Daughter of the Sith."

His ears were ringing, his vision blurring away in strips of grey, but the one thought that followed Sidious into oblivion was that his daughter was the key to the galaxy.

He had to make her submit to him before Plagueis reached her.

* * *

Luck was on Maul's side as he scaled the steps to an upscale Coruscant ship-chandlery. He left his saber in his apartment, he felt exposed without it, but he hadn't had much of a choice as even as he passed through the entrance several droids scanned him.

He scowled for the pictures they were undoubtedly taking.

But his frustration was quickly overshadowed by the sound of Rey's voice and the man with greased hair giving her an affronted face.

The seller looked ready to throw her out as he said, "I assure you, Ma'am, this is the absolute latest model."

"And I'm telling you that it's absolute Hutt slime."

Maul was amused at the man's outrage, "The finish is slime repellent, Ma'am."

Rey twisted and kicked the side of the ship.

The man squeaked as the single pilot ship crashed over on its stands.

"Expensive garbage, no balance whatsoever. Only a moron sacrifices looks for functionality. That thing is a shiny death trap, and that's before I've seen the engine -you somehow shoved into the tiny trunk."

"I assure you, the compact-"

"With those propellers? It would overheat, you can't have the starter that small with twisted pipes and have the vents that big. They look fast, but I bet they are that large to prevent the heat from combusting the fuel tank."

"Madame, if you aren't going to buy then-"

"Just show me your parts, I could build anything in here if this is what you consider your 'finest'." She turned around, "Hey, Maul, you shopping for parts too? Someone told me this was the best ship chandlery this close to the Temple." She glared at the seller, "I feel lied to."

Maul pulled back his hood, and the seller who did a double-take, stomped off toward the stacks. Maul walked in step with his prey, "My ship needs new parts."

It probably did, actually. His droids could probably give him a long list. He usually just let the droids deal with it entirely.

"What are you looking for?" he asked as she scoured the shelves, he saw the scavenger in her as she flipped through racks and racks without a second glance.

She shrugged, "Obi-Wan said I needed to get out the Temple and my Master demanded I take the day off."

"And you thought you would spend your day looking for parts?"

She paused to give him a look, "Looking for parts used to be my life. I'll know what I'm looking for once I find it. It's a scavenger saying."

The seller who had been hovering in the aisle looked stricken, "A scavenger?" _Theif_, he all but screamed. "But I thought you were a Jedi."

She glared at him, "I am-" she interrupted herself with a short exclamation.

Rey, unlike most customers, didn't wait for a ladder to be slid over. Quick as a leaping spider, she scaled the shelving to one of the top shelves several meters up. She came down as if she really were a spider gliding down a web line.

"This," she said triumphantly.

The seller was wide eyed and had to type furiously at his datapad to call up a price.

Rey named a sum nearly half that.

"We don't haggle here, girl."

Maul watched as Rey smiled at the man like she had smiled at their waiter, "This is not worth that, it has never been worth that, especially when it has a loosened connecter paired with a too small washer."

"The price is as is," the man said.

"Do you even know what this is?" she asked.

He opened his mouth, then glanced down at his datapad.

"It isn't worth what you're selling it for," she said before he could read off the screen.

"Well, you will have to travel quite a ways until you find something better. The second best ship-chandlery is on the other side of the planet."

Rey turned to Maul, "Is there any market that sells parts like this for reasonable prices?"

Maul stared at her, then the bit of metal. It was high-tech, that much he could tell. He knew a few distributors, but-

"You will find the exact same product of lower quality in a hundred different shops, but high end? This is the best you will find."

"But it isn't worth what you are selling it for," she argued before looking back at Maul, "Surely there's an open market somewhere on this Force-forsaken planet?"

The Jedi did not go where he was thinking, but then most Jedi Padawans didn't relax when they discovered their company was a bounty hunter.

"There are the markets underground."

The seller gasped, nearly dropping his datapad, "You are ruffians!"

Rey snorted, "Tell you what, I'll buy this part from you at that price if you can explain to me how it fits into 98-3 model."

"Um," he said looking down at his pad.

"Without cheating."

"I'm a seller not a mechanic," he sneered at her, "or a scavenger. Now, take your grubby hands off my products." He held out his hand for the part.

She gave him a bored look, "And apparently you are in the wrong business." She lifted the piece in her hand with the Force, unscrewing all the parts. The pile of metal she placed in his hands, as the seller squeaked.

"You broke it!"

"No," she said, pointing at the contorted piece, "I'm showing you that you're selling malfunctioning equipment. Let's go, Maul, this place is a waste of time."

Maul savoured the look of despair and outrage on the seller's face before he followed his soon to be apprentice.

"So," she said, "how do we get to the underground?"

He didn't smile, but if he was a different sort of Zabrak, he would have.

oOo

Maul kept waiting for her to question him about why he was here, but instead, she asked, "Do you have a list of the parts you were looking for?"

He nodded, pulling back his sleeve to the high-tech communicator that Sidious had given him.

He plugged in the question and his droid sent back a much shorter list then he expected considering how he had flown last.

"A connector and a coolant plug for hy-"

"Hydraulics." she finished for him. "Those things break all the time here, just wait until they realize how to bypass the intiater."

Maul decided that whatever she didn't know about the world or Jedi, she knew more than that as a mechanic. "Do you fly?" he asked.

She grinned at him, "Not officially, at least not yet. You?"

He nodded before he pulled up his hood and indicated she should do the same.

Her grey robes while bright and clean in the sunlight, seemed significantly darker in the Underworld. Her white garb underneath was now hidden. She was still his paler shadow as they walked through the teeming straights, but she no longer broadcasted _Jedi_ as they went deeper. In fact, with her staff strapped to her shoulder, he would be surprised if anyone guessed what she was other than human.

With the grey robe closed, he no longer saw glimpses of her saber.

A saber that was double sided like his.

Under her hood he saw here searching the crowd, but not like she had the simple market above.

He thought she seemed more comfortable here, more in her element, but also…

He swallowed, "Are you alright?"

She sent him a wry smile, her hazel eyes tired, "Yeah, it's just been a rough week. How have you been? Catch any interesting bounties?"

As he had yet to catch her yet, he supposed not. "Fine, and no, nothing interesting." He didn't want to ask, but Sidious said she had been involved in the disturbance in the Force. "The Force changed this week."

She looked away from him, and he couldn't imagine that this girl was his Master's daughter. They were _nothing_ alike.

"You felt it too then?" She asked as she sidestepped a pile of something and then ducked under a beam someone was holding over their shoulder and slipped past an old crone who slapped toothless gums at her.

Maul followed, but the beam was moved out of his way and the crone leaned back from him.

He liked the Underground, he could hit people if they got too close. This was not only allowed but expected.

Walking in stride with her once more, he said, "What did you do?"

She sighed, "Do you know who the Sith are?"

His mind reeled, did she know? She didn't sound accusatory, so he replied, "I've heard stories."

"Well I met their dead, and they are not a friendly lot, I can tell you that much."

He was aware, "And you what, called on the Force for help?"

"I gave them back to the Force."

Maul nearly stumbled, she gave them back? No wonder his Master had been so incensed.

"Did it hurt?" he asked, thinking of the power she could have gained from the Sith shades. He had communed with them only a few times.

She looked up at him with more emotion than he knew any Jedi had ever known. Her answer was short, "Yes."

They both ducked as a droid dropped low above them and a speeder rushed after it.

The Underground was like a city in perpetual night, except people lived in the dome above them too, not just in the stacked buildings and filthy alleyways.

"This way," he said ducking into a large stadium like room, where stands were of equipment sold mostly stolen or used parts.

Rey went ahead of him, her face going neutral as she walked.

Maul realized that _this_ was how she must have been on Tatooine. Rey Palpatine wasn't the perfect happy Jedi she presented herself as, no she was this, a lone survivor in a hostile world that cared nothing for her as she cared nothing for it.

She had stood up to the Sith shades.

His Master could mourn them if he liked, but Maul did not. Knowledge was no good to him if someone else was driving his life.

Yes, he served his Master, but only to a point, only so he could reek pain and suffering on the Jedi who lived as saints and kings as the rest of the galaxy lived in fear.

A Sith shade or two had tried to control his body, as if he were a vessel rather than a Lord in his own right.

He was glad Rey had vanquished them, happy even that she had caused his Master distress.

With Rey as his apprentice, they could even the scales of the galaxy. Sidious and his politics, Plagueis and his labs, were nothing.

Maul had the Force, and if he had could convince Rey to join him, he would have all the power he needed to ensure the legacy of the Sith would never fade.

She had stopped at a stand, a gremlin like creature pulled on its whiskers as he contemplated Rey's bargain.

"We don't take cre-"

"This is Coruscant," she stated, "the currency is good, your product is decent, either sell to me or I will go elsewhere."

The creature pouted its thin lips, its whiskers standing forward, before it clicked, and tossed the object at her as she flipped him the credits.

"You still need those parts?" she asked.

He nodded.

She paused as if waiting for him to say something and when he didn't, she smiled.

It wasn't until she was bargaining with another seller that he realized why she had smiled.

He hadn't pushed her on the disturbance on the Force. It seemed like not asking her personal questions was doing wonders for keeping her close.

That made his task easier.

When she had her hands on the correct parts, Maul picked up the bargaining.

The tusked creature looked as if he would have trumpeted in his face, but on taking stock of his face under the hood, he seemed to think better of it.

"Where to next?" she asked as they exited.

"Let's get something to drink." Maybe if he got her drunk he could get her to spill her secrets.

She shrugged, "You're paying."

He didn't mind that, after all, it was her father's money he would be spending. Sidious had even upped his allowance to help snatch Rey.

A thread of new anger weaved through him, as he thought of Rey as his Master's daughter.

He wasn't jealous, he was… irritated at the idea of his Master raising her.

Raising her as Maul had been raised.

Not that he begrudged his Master's methods, but Rey was powerful enough without being tortured.

Maul would not train her solely with pain. No, hatred would do, when he made her see the Jedi for what they were when she learned how they had betrayed her.

Her becoming a Sith would be oh so natural.

They entered a bar, scummy, but not so packed that they would have to push through crowds.

Maul didn't like anyone touching him, but even he couldn't beat up the entire crowd if he was the one who walked into it.

At least not with Rey with him.

They sat at the bar.

"Order," he commanded her.

She grinned, "I'll pass." Her hazel eyes were wary and he realized that no, she didn't trust him as much as she seemed to.

Curses.

He ordered a seasonal juice, with the extra allowance he could afford to splurge a bit.

He took a sip, it was sweet and fresh, nothing added, nothing special.

"Is that non-alcoholic?" She asked, "just juice?"

He nodded.

She swiped it from his hand with the finesse of a well practiced pickpocket.

He snarled at her, his teeth bared.

She took a sip. She licked her lips before saying with a grin, "I told you, you were paying."

He blinked at her.

Clever.

He ordered another for himself.

A balosar came up to them and asked, "You wanna buy some death sticks?"

Rey didn't even look at the sorry creature as she said, "You don't want to sell me death sticks."

"I don't wanna sell you death sticks."

"You want to go home and rethink your life."

"I wanna go home and rethink my life."

Maul stared at her, she grinned at him over the rim of her glass, "Obi-Wan taught me that."

He raised his brows.

She laughed, "Oh come on, Maul. Jedi aren't all stiff necked, at least Obi-Wan and my Master aren't."

"Your Master would approve of that?" He asked, equal parts impressed as annoyed.

Jedi were hypocritical assholes.

"Sure, but then I'm not sure the Council would approve. Apparently we aren't supposed to use the Force for small things."

"But you do," he noted.

"Do you?" she asked. "Do you have a Master?"

He was careful here, he couldn't risk her sharing this with her 'Obi-Wan' and revealing the Sith to them.

But it was commonly known that Zabraks were Force sensitives, Dark Siders. He would have to be careful the Jedi didn't order Rey to kill him, but if he was careful, they wouldn't connect that he was a Sith Lord.

"I have a teacher, yes. But I do not care for him."

"Oh, is he mean? Master Jinn and Obi-Wan are the kindest people I know, no offence Maul."

He would have been offended if she called him kind and he curled a lip at her asking if Sidious was 'mean.'

"He is not a kind Master, no, but he has taught me much."

"Do you have a lightsaber?"

He stilled, this far he managed not to lie to her, not directly.

"Only the Jedi are permitted to use lightsabers."

She tapped a finger on her glass, "I'm not a child."

To him she was.

She glared at him, "Are you worried I'll tell on you?"

"There is nothing to tell, but you are a Jedi."

She rolled her eyes, "We are friends, Maul. I won't rat on you, I know what it means to live outside what the laws dictate are normality. I know now I wouldn't give up my powers even if I had to leave the Order."

Something like joy zinged through him, she was talking of leaving the Order without prompting and she admitted to a bond between them. "Friends?" he asked, Sidious would be pleased.

She tapped her empty glass, and he motioned the bartender for another. He gave them an odd look, clearly not used to people ordering the mixer straight repeatedly.

Most people didn't come to the underground to stay sober.

"Friends," she repeated, "We shared a meal, and you bought me _two_ drinks. That makes us friends, so no, I swear I won't tell anyone about you being trained in the ways of the Force."

He finished his own drink, again, the sense that this was too easy overcame him. He drew on the Force, and it came in a singing, welcoming rush.

Either Dark or Light, the Force wanted him to teach her all that he knew. "Yes," he said finally, "I have a saber but not on me."

He had been letting his senses tell him if anyway was listening to them. They weren't but Rey's laughter had turned heads.

"What form do you favour?" she asked.

Lowering his voice, he said, "Form VI, Niman." Which was a lie, but he had mastered Niman. There was just the little fact of he said, Form VII, it would be a dead give away that he was not only a Dark Sider but a powerful Dark Sider that the Jedi would certainly have a problem with.

She made a face, scrunching her nose a bit.

"What?" he growled.

"Nothing," she said, "I just thought you might be inclined toward something more aggressive."

He felt a growl rumble in his own chest, he wanted to tell her, he really did. He hated that she was disappointed in Niman.

But honestly, he had been disappointed in it too. He had only mastered it because that was the primary style of the Jedi, and because it had a bit of all the Forms to aid him against any foe.

"What Form are you studying?"

She sighed, "Shii-Cho at the moment, I'm terrible at it actually. I'm not much of a swordsman. But I was taught adaptations of Ataru and Soresu for staff work, I enjoy them much better."

He was impressed by her admitting to her shortcomings with such ease.

Sidious had beat the idea of failure out of him.

Still, it was better that she knew her own weaknesses, it would make training her simpler.

"You think a mastery in Niman is not aggressive enough when you're learning Soresu?"

She grinned, "Soresu, my dear Zabrak, is the art of being aggressively annoying until your opponent gives up out of frustration or fatigue." Her hazel eyes were bright, caught in some memory.

"You also give your opponent time to get the upper hand."

"Or give yourself enough time for back up to show up."

"You should never count on others to save you, apprentice."

"Perhaps. It doesn't matter much now though, my Master won't let me move on to learn another Form until I have the foundation ingrained in me. I'm still so far behind everyone else, I doubt I'll ever catch up."

"It is easier to learn as a child, but the Jedi don't train as hard once they are knighted, you will have time."

He didn't know where the encouraging words came from, he certainly hadn't been given any.

But, he reasoned, he was insulting the Jedi more than praising her.

She checked over her shoulder before finishing the last of her drink, "I think we should go."

He didn't argue as he stood. A group in the corner were watching them a bit too closely.

They made their way out into the streets, shadows roiled in alleyways, darting figures.

An ambush.

Maul felt his anticipation grow.

Finally, something to kill.

"Where do we go?" she asked.

His excitement dampened, she was too sharp to let herself be led into a trap despite what he had believed when they first met.

Sighing, he directed them toward a gambling den. Their stalkers might wait for them, but they wouldn't follow not with the armed bouncers at the entrances.

She looked around in interest, but didn't ask to join a game.

"Do you play?" he asked.

"No, I'm hopeless at cards," she said even as he saw her tug on the Force to replace someone's facedown card with a card from the pile.

He wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't felt her connection to the Force. The Force seemed to flit around them, dancing to the little motions of her hand.

Maul breathed in deeply, catching her scent as he let the Force fill him. The Dark and the Light came in a tangled thread, and with his second sight, he saw Rey like a shining star.

He heard the exclamation as the gamblers who had been on the receiving end of Rey's fun lost their hands.

Maul, who knew how these games were won and lost, stole a man's winning card and replaced it in the dealer's deck. As he and Rey got another round of fruit juice at this slightly more upscale bar, a Mikkian with a yellow main let out a scream, flipping the entire table.

He exchanged look with Rey who was grinning at him.

A fleeting image of a white faced woman laughing crossed his mind but he shook it off as he turned back to the gambling den, searching for more trouble to cause.

Between the two of them, they became the worst luck any of these people had ever experienced.

Rey cursed only once when she accidentally won someone a hand.

They left when the room began to reach riotous levels of uproar.

When they got back the streets, Rey was almost skipping.

He tried to compare this girl to the woman he had glimpsed haggling with ship chandlers.

He wondered which came more natural to her. Who was she? This bright light in the dark? Or the shadows that moved in darkness, walking the same paths he walked?

The Force shouted a warning at him at the same moment Rey turned, her saber in her hand. She ignited its beam, he stepped to the side, and the Cthon behind was sliced in half. It's flesh sizzling.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, as Maul stared down at the dead creature, wondering _where_ the hell it had come from.

Cthon were not seen at this level, they were not _that_ far down.

"Jedi!" someone bellowed, more shocked than out fear or engagement.

Jedi didn't go below ground, at least not on Coruscant.

She turned off her saber, "I think we should get back to the surfac-"

"Cthons!" multiple voices screamed.

Maul grabbed Rey's hand as he felt the ground turn, the street broke into chaos.

She pulled on his hand, but he didn't let go as he yanked her through a group of people. He had to get her out of here.

"Let go of me!" she yelled at him.

He didn't answer just tightened his grip as he ducked them into a short alley then onto a main road that was emptied quickly.

The underground knew how to lockdown.

She twisted from his grasp with more strength than she should have had, "I know how to run without you holding my hand!"

She was pissed.

Good_._

But with or without her anger she was able to keep up with him.

An explosion rocked the building beside them, and they ducked into one of the open markets, now emptied of inhabitants, the stalls had slid into slots in the ground so there was nothing but an open bowl the size of a large field.

"It's a trap," he hissed, as he turned to watch their assailants pour through the entrance.

"Here," she said, he glanced at her to see her holding out her saber to him.

She was offering him her weapon?

What kind of Jedi was she?

"Use it. I am a master in nothing, it is more good to you than me," she said as she unstrapped her staff over her shoulder.

He didn't argue, the pummel was thinner than his, but the length was right. She was smaller than him, but only then did he appreciate that they were within an inch of being the same height.

"What do you creeps want?" she called to them, her voice irritated but not worried. She had sounded more upset at him leading her by the hand.

He didn't really care what they wanted, they would be dead soon enough.

A pack of Cthon scrabbled like human roaches around the inverted dome.

Their stalkers from earlier in the night threw back their hoods. Two females and three males of varying sizes and species, all wore black and more weapons then they could reasonably wield.

"You're Senator Palpatine's daughter, you're worth a fortune in ransom, girl. Your little Jedi friend can't help you."

Maul snarled, _they were dead._

Rey crouched as well, "And the zombies?"

The speaker, a girl whose excessive makeup could not hide her youth, stepped forward on the ledge. Her black spiked hair and fishnets under straps of leather made her look like she was wearing a costume rather than looking like a true underworld native.

Rey in her white and grey looked as if she belonged here more than their assailant did.

"A pet project of ours. You would be surprised what rich people will pay to satisfy their curiosity. Unfortunately for you, Naboo has made many enemies of late."

Rey twirled her staff, "I suggest you run now. It is my occupation that should worry you, not my heritage."

The girl laughed, then clapped her hands together once.

The fifty sum Cthon jumped at them from every angle.

The Force guided them, as he and Rey back flipped over the mass. The skull headed golems squealed as they bit at one another before turning back on them.

"They eat flesh," Maul told her as blue sliced through four of them in one swing.

She in turn slapped two and broke the neck of a third's with her staff, "Great. Any other wisdom you care to share, Dathomirian?"

He cut through two that were going for her legs, they worked a yard apart from each other, covering each other's backs. "They mutated from humans."

"Wonderful," she said sarcastically as she stabbed one through its open mouth, lifted it as it gagged around the of her staff then she threw it at its fellows.

He killed serval more in the same amount of time.

He was glad she had given him the killing weapon, where she was indeed skilled with a staff, she didn't have the necessary bloodlust to fend off this many on her own.

But he was impressed with her ability to keep his back clear.

Fifty dwindled to ten, the remainder of the Cthon slowed in their attack to cannibalize their own dead.

The group that had thought to kidnap a Senator's daughter pulled their weapons and began firing at him.

He hissed as he was forced to go on the defensive, they were too far away.

"Hold them," Rey shouted, and he felt her call to the Force.

He felt the air change around them, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he let the Force direct his actions. Her hair not restrained by her buns were standing on ends.

What was she doing?

"Maul, move!" she commaned as the energy rose.

He twirled behind her, picking off the last of the Cthon as he turned, the pike a blue blur in his hands.

He bent his knees as a flash of light jumped from Rey's hands to their assailants, followed by a clash of thunder.

He felt the rolling sound in his centre more than he heard it. He blinked, the light had been blinding.

Maul finally found Rey's resemblance to her father.

Though even Darth Sidious's Sith lightning was not powerful enough to cause thunder.

And then, not seeming the slightest bit tired, Rey hit them again, and again.

He closed his eyes to spare his vision. With each bolt came the sonic clap of molecules clashing.

Maul had been on the receiving end of lightning strikes often in his life, it was one of Sidious's preferred methods of training.

Maul wondered what his Master would look like at the receiving end of Rey's lightning. The thought almost made him smile.

His apprentice would surpass them all.

When Rey was satisfied that she had sufficiently fried their attackers, they exited the supposed trap.

Maul could feel that Rey had only killed one of them, but they were in such poor condition he almost wanted them to live to spread tales of their failure. But he couldn't afford it. He brought the pike through each of their hearts.

The girl who had taunted them, raised a hand to hold him off, she lost that hand a moment before her heart stopped beating.

Her blue eyes glazed over.

He sneered, foolish human. He hated them, hated the way they looked at him, even this one as he delivered her death.

She had looked at him as if he were less, as Sidious looked at him for being lesser. No matter how powerful he became, no matter what perfection he reached, his being a Zabrak meant he would never be enough for his Master. Never be equal.

He looked up at Rey, the child who Sidious no doubt sought to replace him with.

Rey watched him with cool eyes. She held out her hand for her saber. He hesitated. Would she turn it on him?

He realized that getting her to trust him was a test for him in learning to trust her himself. He turned off the saber, and held it out to her, hilt horizontal ends to the sides.

She took it, snapping it back on her belt.

"You're angry with me," he remarked.

"No," she said, her tone unreadable.

"You're something."

"You're dangerous, Maul, more than I had realized. The Force is shadowed around you," she stated.

He tilted his head, knowing he couldn't shield his energy from her, he couldn't imagine what she made of what she saw.

Any Jedi who truly saw through him would know he was a Sith. She had encountered the Sith shades, channelled them even. She should know what he was.

But perhaps the Force was with him, because she said, "But the Force likes you, even if you are a bit-" she looked down at the dead brutes, "savage."

"You're afraid," he concluded.

"No," she said, "You're my friend, and Master Dooku said the Force is both the Light and the Darkness."

The Jedi were strange.

"Maul, I need to get back to the Temple before Obi-Wan gets worried."

He nodded, even as he thought, _Your Obi-Wan should be worried._

* * *

Obi-Wan sat up as Rey came into the room.

"Hi," she said as she headed straight for the refresher.

The door closed behind her.

He stood. "Did you have a good evening?" he asked through the door.

"Yes, I just need a shower."

He shook his head, she liked showers, and never seemed to get over the novelty of it.

"Alright," he said, sitting back down. He had time to finish the chapter he was on before she reemerged in a spare pair of his robes. He wasn't much taller than she was, but she was slight, and she looked much younger than she was in them even if the robes were unisex.

"Eventful evening?" he asked as she flopped back on her bed.

"I got the part I wanted, the ship chandlery you sent me to was crap."

"Rey, that's the best ship chandlery on the entire planet, which is nearly the same thing as stating that it is the best in the entire Republic."

She gave him a look.

He held up his hands, "That's what all the reviews say."

"False advertisement," she said with a sigh, closing her eyes, she continued, "They were going to overcharge me for a broken part."

He sniggered, as he slipped on his shoes, "I'm sure you gave them your thoughts?"

"As citizen of the Republic, it was my solemn duty."

"Did they kick you out?"

She rolled to her side, to look at him, "No, but he did squeal when I dismantled the part. As he put it, he was a salesman, not a mechanic."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "It makes you wonder what we are piloting."

"I'm certainly checking over any engine we fly frown no own if the Order relies on hacks like them."

"Never a bad idea to be thorough. Ready for supper?"

"Hmm…" she said, closing her eyes, "maybe I'll take a nap first."

"Gasp, Padawan Palpatine turning away dinner? What is the galaxy coming to?"

She chucked her pillow at him.

He caught it as he stood and brought the pillow down on her head. She snatched it back only to try and smother him with it. "Obi-Wan Kenobi! You obnoxious twat!"

He laughed, "Alright, alright, I'll go to dinner without you."

She huffed, "No, I'm up." She ran hand through her wet hair, she rarely put it up before it was completely dry.

He tugged on her braid, "Where did you end up getting the part from? Maybe there is dealer the Order should invest in."

"I didn't go to a dealer, I went to a few markets in the underworld."

He froze.

Her face showed no sign that she knew how bad or dangerous that was.

"You did what?" he breathed.

"I bought it from a seller in the underworld. The part was used, but all around a better make and at a third of the price."

"Rey," he moaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, finally understanding what prompted Qui-Gon to make the gesture.

"Obi-Wan?" she asked, she sounded worried now, "Are you okay? You look pale."

What was he supposed to say? Yell at her for breaking the rules? But then she probably didn't know Padawans weren't allowed in the underworld.

He had never been, and part of him wanted to know what it had been like.

Obi-Wan decided right then and there that he wasn't taking responsibility for this, he was still a Padawan himself. Qui-Gon would know how to explain this better than he would.

"We need to go see Qui-Gon."

"Why?"

He just shook his head, "Come on."

She sighed, slipping on her cleaner pair of shoes Master Dooku had gifted her when he realized she only had the one pair.

She kept good care of them, her other pair of shoes she carelessly tossed in the washer.

That the soles were still intact was remarkable.

"Honestly," he muttered, "You've been out in the City maybe three times and you go to the underworld?"

"I needed the part," she said as they walked to the Master's wing, "I don't see what the big deal is."

Obi-Wan held his tongue, re-evaluating what she had looked like when she came into the room. Sweaty, though not really dirty, she had looked tired, even if the haunted look that had been dogging her all week was now absent.

He knocked on the door, and Qui-Gon's voice called, "Come in, my Padawans."

Obi-Wan wondered at the bonds, he had been paying attention to them, he had felt her call to the Force, but not for help.

Rey was almost always in contact with the Force, so he had not noticed anything truly abnormal.

The door slid open, Qui-Gon and Dooku were seated on the cushions around the low table.

"Shouldn't you two be at dinner?" Qui-Gon asked, frowning at Rey as if looking for something.

Obi-Wan very much felt like a young initiate about to turn trader on his friend, but Qui-Gon had to know.

Qui-Gon raised a brow at him, "What is there that you need to tell me, Padawan Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan suddenly found the whole thing humorous, Qui-Gon of all people wasn't going to be furious about Rey breaking the rules. He threw an arm around Rey's shoulders, "Guess who decided to make a jaunt down to the underworld today?"

As long as he lived he would always remember the look on his Master's face, and the colour that seeped up his cheeks as Master Dooku's deep baritone laughter filled the room.

"Was there a lesson you might have overlooked, Padawan Jinn?" Dooku asked.

Qui-Gon pinched the bridge of his nose, and without looking up at them -in part to hide his flushed cheeks. "What could you have possibly needed from the underworld, Rey?" He looked up at her, and said dryly, "Deathsticks?"

"No," she said, leaning into Obi-Wan, "though as it happened someone did offer some to me, but no, I went down for a ship part."

"One you couldn't get at any of the thousands of shops above ground?"

"I didn't feel like wasting time with manufacturers."

"Easier to buy stolen goods?"

"I didn't steal them," she said, only a tad defensive.

"Rey," Qui-Gon sighed, "Jedi Padawans are not allowed to go to the lower levels of Coruscant."

"Why not?"

"Because it is dangerous."

"I didn't go alone, I went with a friend."

Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan who glared back at his Master, "I did not go to the underworld."

Even if he was sort of curious now.

"Which friend?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Maul, he's a Zabrak I met a few months ago."

"A Zabrak?" Dooku interrupted, "What colour was his skin?"

"Red," she said, a note of something Obi-Wan didn't like in her voice.

Dooku's brows rose, "A Dathomirian Zabrak on Coruscant? Interesting."

"Do you have something against Zabraks?"

"Serreno has a history with Dathormir, but no, I have no problem with them per se, it is rare, however, for them to leave their home world. Their culture is -peculiar."

"Were you hurt?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No, I'm fine," she said, honestly enough but there was a thread to her tone.

"Padawan Palpatine," Qui-Gon said in _that_ tone.

She sighed, "Okay fine, there were maybe a hord of Cthons and group of- well I don't know what you would call them, calling them bounty hunters is an insult to bounty hunters. They wanted to kidnap me to ransom me back to my father. Not sure if they understood that I was a Jedi or not though." She shrugged, "But its been dealt with."

Silence.

Even Dooku was rendered speechless as they all stared at her.

"Cthons?" Obi-Wan asked, breaking first, "How far did you go?"

"The would be ransomers had them, they nearly caused a riot. Good thing I had my saber with me, the staff wasn't enough."

"What do they look like?" Obi-Wan asked, his curiosity taking over. The underworld was never a place he had ever seriously considered venturing, he wanted to be a Jedi Knight more than he wanted to put a face to scary stories, but now- "Do they really look humanoid?"

"Not even close, more like- well they had humanish bodies, but their heads were all wrong, and they gave off a distinct zombie vibe."

He was about to ask more only for Qui-Gon to interrupt him, "Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan winced at the tone, "Yes, Master?"

"Teach Rey how to brew a proper pot of tea."

Obi-Wan let out an exasperated puff of air, "Is that your answer to everything?"

With as much dignity as Master Dooku, Qui-Gon held himself straight, "Lesson of the day, Padawans, when there is tea, things are never quite as dire as we make them out to be."

Dooku smiled, "At least I was able to teach you that much, Qui-Gon." He chuckled, "A Padawan on her own in the underworld. Master Yoda is going to give you hell for this."

Obi-Wan directed Rey to the stove and kettle, thinking that perhaps the Masters were right. Maybe everything would seem saner after a cup of tea.

* * *

AN: If you enjoyed this story at all please drop a comment or review? It will make my day :D And please stay safe everyone!


	12. A Long Road

KEYnotes: Plagueis has been plotted since chapter one and don't know if y'all noticed but I have changed enough that the grand plan is going to take a far different shape than George Lucas had envisioned. Frankly, I think the prequels are entirely forced plot, it's only redeeming quality was the badassery of the actors. MY plot is going to be complicated as fuck because everyone is upping their games because they are actually thinking, intelligent, crafty beings.

Maul: isn't really a Sith, yes, he considers himself a Sith but Sidious botched his training. This might change later on, but for now, Rey **has** figured out that he is Dark Sider, she just hasn't had it beaten into her head that that makes him evil.

Chapter 12 - A Long Road

Dooku was suppressing a smile.

Sifo-Dyas had two fingers held to his right temple.

Mace was sitting forward, hands clasped.

Every other council member was staring at Master Yoda who sat unmoving in his chair.

Qui-Gon Jinn stood in the centre of the room, arms crossed under his joint sleeves. "I don't see why this required an entire Council hearing."

Yoda said nothing.

Mace said, "We gathered to give you your assignment _-originally._"

"She's safe."

"You just said she had a group of criminals try to kill her and a horde of Cthons."

"Her training has progressed well."

"She's-" Mace began but Qui-Gon cut him off.

"I admit my failure in explaining the boundaries. But Rey isn't one of our younglings. She isn't Vos or Rael who became rough around the edges and explored that aspect of themselves in their later years. Rey grew up on her own on a planet run by Hutts. The underworld might be larger than Tatooine, but it is likely more familiar to her than life in this Temple."

"Warned her, you have," Yoda said before sighing, "Forbidden her, you have not."

Qui-Gon bowed his head, "I will not curtail her freedoms."

"Under your protection, she is. Wish you to no longer be her Master, others are there."

"Her own person she remains," Qui-Gon said in turn.

"Hmm…" Yoda muttered, "Much danger I see this, but much change also I see, both a purpose and inadvertent. Surve this mission well, you and your Padawans shall."

"Shall I call them in then?"

Yoda nodded, and Qui-Gon reached for the bond between himself and Obi-Wan. A moment later the door opened.

Obi-Wan looked braced for a punishment, Rey was focusing on her breathing to centre her shields.

Qui-Gon suppressed a smile.

"Padawans Kenobi and Palpatine," Dooku greeted warmly, "What do you know of Kashyyyk?"

Obi-Wan's brows rose and Rey's face lit up, "Are we going to go help Wookies?"

"Know of Wookies, you do?" Yoda asked her.

She nodded, "I learned to understand their language from an old imp- from a computer."

Qui-Gon raised a brow himself, he knew she could speak droid but he hadn't thought she would know anything about Wookies, they weren't exactly common on most planets, much less a desert planet like Tatooine.

Mace looked as suspicious as Yoda looked intrigued.

Qui-Gon was very glad he had been entrusted as Rey's Master, Yoda was not joking when he threatened to steal her.

"Why would you learn to understand Wookie?" Mace asked.

She shrugged, "I was bored."

"Didn't you have any friends?"

"Mace," Qui-Gon warned.

"Nope," Rey said lightly, but Qui-Gon felt her emotions through the bonds. Not anger or resentment, more… a sense of inadequacy, as if she had failed somehow.

Obi-Wan caught her hand, "Well, looks like another one of your varied talents is going to pay off."

She grinned at him, her joy sparking through the bond.

Qui-Gon kept his own emotions more subdued.

The girl he met on Tatooine had been positive but hard edged. Qui-Gon didn't think she had really been happy until she had met them. That was flattering, but in some ways, was an indication of how hard her life had been before that she viewed her life as a Jedi to be such a vast improvement.

If Qui-Gon had any other padawans, they wouldn't have thanked him for extremes he drove them to on a weekly basis during training.

"The mission," Syfo-Dyas taking over, having limited patience for Mace and Yoda who so often led Council discussions, "is rescuing Wookies on Kashyyyk."

Qui-Gon asked, "Are there specific individuals we need to rescue?"

"Unfortunately, no, we have a general location that we know are being hit, but otherwise -if you see a Wookie in danger, save it."

"Why not send more of us then, if this as you imply, a planetary struggle?"

"Spoken with them, I have," Yoda said, "Proud Wookies are, allow no more than three they would despite my urgings. Masters Rael Averross and Quinlan Vos, along with Padawan Aalya Secura to a separate system have we sent."

Mace picked up the explanation, "Trandoshans often agress Wookies, and mostly the Wookies are content to take care of their own problems. But there is a 300 year anniversary of celebration as arisen on this other system that seeks to use Wookies as a sport in the 'festivities.' Rael and Quinlan are going undercover to both rescue the kidnapped Wookies, and what is of vital importance, cutting off the funding to the Trandoshans."

"Ah," Qui-Gon said, "But even if the funds run dry..."

Yoda nodded, "Stop, the violence will not. Need we to make the losses greater than their bloodlust, we must."

Mace looked at Rey when he said, "Trandoshans can regrow severed limbs, this is not a wholly diplomatic mission."

Rey met his gaze with a steady look, "Are you asking us to use deadly force?"

Qui-Gon exchanged a look with Dooku. Most missions he was assigned were diplomatic, or at least they started out that way. Diplomacy was his strength.

He felt Obi-Wan looking at Rey too, but his senior Padawan didn't often question the motives of the Council.

"We would advise it, yes," Mace said, "But your main objective is to save as many Wookies as you can, their safety is paramount. Their cities are doing well enough, it is the settlements dotted around those larger groupings that are in the most danger."

Dooku answered his unasked question, "Chaos, Qui-Gon, that's why the three of you were chosen, that and there aren't many groups of three that work together as well as you do. Even if you are separated, which we also advise, the bonds will give you a means of communication no matter where you find yourselves. We expect this to be a long mission. Perhaps three months, perhaps longer."

Rey spoke up then, "And Vos isn't good enough at causing chaos?"

Plo Koon laughed, "Ah, girl, I see Padawan Kenobi's humour is wearing off on you. Master Vos is indispensable at blending in, Master Averross as well. Seldom are they mistaken as Jedi when they don't wish to be seen."

_Seldom does Vos appear as a Jedi, even if the man is meditating, _Rey thought at Obi-Wan, which spilled over to Qui-Gon due to her still new at projecting her thoughts?

He thought he saw Yoda suppress a smile.

"In other words, you are sending us to Kashyyk to get in the way of the Trandoshans' machinations in order to protect the Wookies."

"Thwart them at every turn," Mace said. "May the Force be with you."

Qui-Gon and his Padawans bowed after chorusing, "And with you."

They left and Obi-Wan said to Rey, "You want to pilot?"

She grinned.

And Qui-Gon wondered if he was going to regret this, she had only ever copiloted to Ilum before.

oOo

As it turned out, Rey was an excellent pilot. True, she pushed their ship a bit faster than even Obi-Wan liked, but Rey also seemed to know what every sound and button on the ship was and did in combination.

The part she retrieved from the underworld she had used to customize their ship. It was the smoothest lightspeed on a small ship he had ever endured.

So it was a shame when someone attempted to blow their ship out of the sky.

Rey directed their ship toward a large body of water. She directed them to the correct city region despite all the scanners being down.

She unbuckled as the ship screamed when both wings tore off at their descent.

"Piece of-" Rey cursed as she ripped a piece of the metal framing off the dash and angled it in the handle.

"We need to jump," she said.

Obi-Wan tossed them both packs as they ran to the back of the craft.

"Now," Qui-Gon called.

Obi-Wan hit the button and the back hatch opened.

They jumped, and with the Force guiding them, not a moment too soon.

He was very glad he had taught his Padawans how to swim. Qui-Gon held his limbs tight, but he was still slapped around by the waves. For a moment he didn't know which way was up. He held his breath, letting the water resurface him.

Sucking in air, he tried to take stock of where they were. Rey and Obi-Wan were fine, he knew, but Obi-Wan was farther from the shore than Qui-Gon was.

And Rey?

She had been caught by an ocean current and was fighting to keep her head above water as the waves rose and fell like wind over grass covered hills.

_Swim to shore when you're able, Padawan, don't fight the tide and use the Force to be mindful of the living things around as well as beneath you._

_Yes, Master Jinn._

Obi-Wan did not add in, though Qui-Gon felt his annoyance at being separated so early.

Qui-Gon was a kilometre from the shore, Obi-Wan was about two, maybe three.

By the time they got to shore, Rey was far from sight.

"Promising start," Obi-Wan quipped.

Qui-Gon pulled back his hair, not as worried as he thought he would be, "Obi-Wan, that girl strolled down into the underworld and faced off a bunch of thugs and a horde of Cthons, she will be fine. Besides, we needed to split up anyway."

"She wasn't alone. Where exactly are we going?"

"I hardly think a bounty hunter did her much good. Rey got us to about the right spot. We will convene with the locals then you and I will split once we know where they suspect the Trandoshans are headed."

"Rey is going to have to backtrack with us," Obi-Wan remarked, shaking the water off their packs.

"I trust that left to her own devices, she will encounter the trouble we seek."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

* * *

Rey tried hard to both be aware of the possible sea creatures lurking beneath her as well as ignore them.

All by embracing the Force was she able to shelve her fear and keep her head above water. It seemed to take an hour or longer before the riptide took her to shore, or more precisely tried to smash her against a jagged cliffside.

But Rey was ready for it, and leapt to catch the rocks and began climbing before the next wave slapped against her.

The breaking wave hurt, but she didn't lose her handholds. Climbing, her back and staff still on her back she worked her way up on land.

When she reached the top, she sprawled out on the flat land, looking up a clouded sky. Even Coruscant didn't have this many clouds. She thought it was supposed to be darker if one couldn't see the sun. But though the clouds defused the light, it was more widespread, as if the entire dome of the sky was a light source instead of one or two points.

Rey reached out to the bonds, _I'm on land. _

Qui-Gon's consciousness brushed hers, _Good, continue the mission as planned. Obi-Wan and I will share any information we acquire before splitting up ourselves._

She nodded, then sent back, _Aye-Aye, Master._

She felt his smile and then she was on her own again.

Getting to her feet she began to explore, grateful to be off Coruscant and not a planet as freezing as Ilum. Kashyyyk was tropical, and the heat was welcome even with the humidity.

oOo

Rey found Trandoshans attacking Wookies before nightfall. She also found a group of five Mandalorians fighting them.

She paused at the edge of the clearing to identify where the Wookies were. As far as she could see, there weren't any adults, only three young Wookies who maybe came up to her hip in height. The Trandoshans seemed to aim at them as well as the Mandalorians.

In turn, the Mandalorians were doing their best to shield the Wookies and blow the Trandoshans off the face of the planet.

Rey had always liked Mandalorians, by far the most respectful and decent under Hutt employ.

Rey came up on the side of the Trandoshans' forces the Mandalorians were not focused on.

No reason to take friendly fire.

She should have used her saber, she knew that, but as always, she reached for her staff first. She landed on the back of a Trandoshan, putting her staff around his scaley neck in a choke grip.

He roared, and with the aid of the Force, Rey wrenched her grip on her staff and twisted. The Trandoshan's neck snapped with an almost sickening ease, and Rey caught another between the eyes with her staff. It reeled back, but looked otherwise unharmed.

She heard one of the Wookie children let out a sound that was not a word but an exclamation of fear.

Rey lunged forward, the Force guiding her. She caught the Wookie child up in her arms, and as she rolled them out of the way of blaster fire, scooped up an abandoned blaster. Crouched around the child who clung to her like she was their only thing shelter in the world she shot two Trandoshans. One who had been aiming at her, the other who had been aiming for a Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian glanced back at her as the two other Wookie children ran to her.

"Stay low, girl," he shouted to her as he made a whistling sound. The other Mandalorians closed ranks around her and the Wookie children.

The Trandoshans' numbers were dwindling but no amount of their dead seemed to phase them as they climbed over their dead comrades without hesitation.

No wonder Master Windu had advised deadly force, these things didn't quit.

"What's your name, girl?" a Mandalorian to her left called, sounding not the slightest bit out of breath.

"Rey Palpatine," she answered, nailing a Trandoshan in the eye.

"Good to meet you, I'm Chakraborty, to my left is Maas, to my right are Harris, Tolkien, and Briggs, " he said.

"Well met," she said, blasting another Trandoshan in the eye as the Wookie children huddled closer to her. "We're going to get you out of here," she promised, "Just hold tight."

She almost regretted saying the last to them because Wookies, even young ones' definition of 'hold tight' was bruising, but she didn't complain.

Rey felt the ripple in the Force before the Mandalorians heard what was coming for them in the trees. She put down the blaster, and braced herself on her knees, the Wookies hugged her, their arms constricting her breathing. But she was already connected with the Force, and with both her hands free, she prepared herself to catch what was flying at them through the trees.

It wasn't a large ship, not even half the size of the carrier on Naboo. The Mandalorians shouted at her to run, to get the Wookies to safety as they aimed at the engine and the windows, their blasts did nothing.

Rey tuned them all out as she closed her eyes, the ship suspended in her mind. She couldn't afford to cause a large explosion, the Mandalorians had armour, the Wookies did not.

She felt the energy build in the ship's cannons, she crushed them. The explosions were contained to the canons, she shattered the window glass inward, and the Mandalorians shot down the pilot.

The remaining Trandoshans ran as they assumed the ship was about to crash.

"Run!" Chakraborty shouted at her.

But Rey had this, and the ship didn't crash, but it did 'land' on the remaining Trandoshans.

The one leftover Trandoshan looked back at her with a look of horror on its reptilian face. She spun the ship, squishing him like a bug.

Connected as she was to the Force, she felt their deaths and couldn't rejoice at their victory. But when the Wookie children raised their heads at the absence of blaster fire, she knew it had been worth it.

No one who killed children for sport deserved to live.

Rey looked up at the Mandalorians who were staring down at her, with the helmets in place she couldn't read their expressions, but their silence was making her uncomfortable.

Finally, the one name Briggs asked in a distinctly feminine voice, "You're a Jedi Knight."

Rey shook her head, "No, I'm just a Padawan."

The silence resumed and the Wookie's loosened their death grip and she was able to take a full breath.

"But you are a Jedi?" Chakraborty asked.

She frowned at his tone, "Yes."

"You do realize we are Mandalorians, correct?"

She glared up at him, "I'm from Tatooine, of course I recognize you are Mandalorians."

Why did everyone assume she was ignorant? Well, she was in regards to the Jedi, but not in the rest of reality even if she was from the outer rim, and possibly the future.

"And you don't have a problem with that, _Padawan?"_ Maas asked.

Were these people touched in the helmet? What was with their tone? "Why would I have a problem with Mandalorians? Every Mando I've ever met has been nothing but respectful and decent. As long as I stay out of the way of their bounties, they stayed out of my way. And you pay fair prices in a deal."

"You've taken money from a Mandalorian?" Tolkien asked, his voice high and smooth, as if he would be a good singer.

"I was a mechanic."

"But you are a Jedi?" Chakraborty asked for the third time.

"Yes," she said, exasperated now, "What's your problem?"

The Mandalorians exchanged silent looks.

Tolkien shrugged.

Rey would have pressed them but one of the Wookies tugged on her braid, she looked down and in a roaring speech, he said, "~What are you going to do with us, Jedi Rey?~"

She put her hands on his shoulder, "I'm here to help you. Do you have family we can take you to?"

He nodded, and the other two Wookies at her back, moved so they could see her face and began talking rapidly, having realized she could understand them.

"Slow down," Rey said with a reassuring smile, "Let's start with your names? I'm Padawan Rey Palpatine."

They gave her their names and she introduced them to the Mandalorians. "This is Jiwarr, Aribecca, and Dewlanna."

Chakraborty knelt, "We are going to take you back to your people, but we are going to have to make camp away from here for the night. Is that okay?"

Rey translated for Dewlanna, "We need to go East, it is safer and closer to the path we should take tomorrow."

Tolkien said, "We need the Jedi, none of us knows their language."

Harris sighed, "I guess we can tolerate her, she's just a Padawan after all."

Rey didn't catch the thing he said afterwards in Mandalorian tongue, but she didn't think it was flattering.

She suppressed another frown, maybe she would have to rethink her assessment of them being respectful. Growing up on Jakku, the Mandalorians she met had been nearly kind to her, at least in comparison to everyone else.

She wondered if it was something to do with being Jedi that had upset them? Which didn't make much sense, as it seemed they were both here helping the Wookies.

* * *

Maul lasted a week before boredom overtook him. Yes, he trained, he meditated on his hatred, and he researched but nothing was enough.

With Rey off-world and with no excuse he could think of to follow her that wouldn't reveal them, he had nothing to do. Even the feeling laying in wait for his prey had abated.

What was more, Darth Sidious was unreachable. His Master answered no com, no message, and had made no public appearances. Maul couldn't investigate further on the off chance he was marked on looking into it.

Sidious would not be pleased if he revealed himself in any way to anyone from Naboo.

Even still, he kept his informants on Queen Amidala's actions as his Master had a penchant for either aiding or undermining whatever the young Queen did.

But there was no destruction large enough to keep his attention. He had been living on Coruscant for nearly two years now, and he was ready to kill something.

He had been ready to kill for years now.

So when one more day passed, of training and meditating, he snapped. He returned to the underworld deciding to make good on his alternate identity.

He found a bounty, and by nightfall said bounty was dead.

Weeks passed and he was again left to boredom. Coruscant had many criminals, but unless Maul wished to make a name for himself, which he couldn't afford to do, he had to restrain himself.

Wondering if he should leave to some other planet in the outer rim to let off steam, the droid on his ship lit up with an important message.

Maul signalled for the stupid thing to continue.

"_Senator Palpatine of Naboo declared missing. Queen Amidala of Naboo asks that anyone with information please contact a representative of Naboo. Last known whereabouts: Coruscant."_

Maul's thoughts came to halt before spinning madly.

Was his Master in danger? That seemed unlikely. Likely Sidious had planned his own kidnapping and had not deigned to tell his apprentice.

Perhaps Maul should check on him anyway, but if he was caught in any way or interrupted Sidious's schemes then there would be hell to pay.

But what if he was in real danger?

The only people Sidious had to worry about were the Jedi, who remained ignorant, or Darth Plagueis.

Maul leaned back in his seat. He had seen Hego Demask II see him, but they had never been introduced as such. They weren't on a talking basis or in direct contact in any way. Technically, Darth Sidious was still his apprentice.

If it was Darth Plagueis who had Sidious, Maul wouldn't be able to help him.

Deciding that he needed to be in hiding now more than ever, he searched his mind for something to do.

He thought of Rey, thought of how she had nearly laughed at him for mastering Niman because she thought it wasn't aggressive enough.

Form VII, Juyo was plenty aggressive enough, but he couldn't use it in front of her because she would ask, and if answered and she took it to her precious Jedi, then they would be on to him.

Not that his having a saber at all wouldn't tip them off. But she had seemed sincere when she promised not to share that fact with the Jedi.

He didn't trust that promise, not in the slightest. But in order for him to earn her trust, he knew he would at least have to pretend to trust her. Because despite their first meeting, he had come to see that she didn't trust him either, despite following him into the underground and handing him her lightsaber.

Of course, she didn't really need a lightsaber to toast him.

She had only killed one person with that bout of lightning, but more had been dying and none had made any indication that they could have risen. Rey hadn't even been tired after that.

He had been on the receiving end of lightning enough to know that even Sidious would have grown weary. Rey hadn't looked phased at all.

And even Sidious couldn't create thunder with his lightning.

She said she favoured Ataru and Soresu.

He tried not to sneer at the latter. He would most likely be good at it, considering his own natural endurance out did most species, but he couldn't stomach holding back that long. He wasn't even sure it would work while trying to channel the Dark Side of the Force. Possibly as a form of masochism to build up his frustration until he blew up at his opponent with the full weight of his powers, but that wasn't exactly the idea of Soresu.

But Ataru…

He stood igniting his dual sided lightsaber.

Ataru was in many ways the forefather of his own preferred style. He walked through the basic motions Sidious had taught him.

A few he had mastered already as they existed in some ways in both Niman and Juyo, but Ataru was more graceful, more fluid, more predictable.

He sighed.

But he didn't stop, remembering more and more as he found his footing. He let the Force flow through him, the Dark coming to him easier now as the Light had become polluted by Rey's destruction of the Sith shades.

He flipped, and with each wond up motion, he found Ataru far more suited to a double blade than Niman was, even some ways better than Juyo, though he would never admit that out loud. Atura was fluid, and unlike with a single blade, it allowed the momentum of his dual saber to never end.

Maul had researched Rey's Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and he held only a single blade. Perhaps Maul could lure Rey to him in teaching her how to wield her weapon, especially if her Master was wasting her on Shii-Cho.

* * *

Dooku wasn't sure what had changed, but his contacts throughout the Separatist movement had started contacting him right and left for direction.

Some had even given him detailed information on their droids manufacturing. Details he had shared with Sifo-Dyas. His dear friend had nearly had a heartattack.

And when Dooku brought the issue up before the Council, he found that many indivauls knew different pieces of the board that spanned the galaxy.

"We need to destroy them all," he said to his fellow Council members. "Preferably before the designs get better."

"They are still in the Republic," Mace argued, "I doubt it would be hard to convince-"

"_No,"_ Dooku had cut in, "We are not sacrificing our people to suppress systems who the Republic is failing. Let the Republic manage its own problems, for once. The Republic Guard are fat cats with all the 'errands' they send our people on."

"We need to prevent a citizen against droid war," Sifo-Dyas said, unmoved by Dooku's reasoning.

"What we need," Adi-Ki Mundi said, "is a diplomatic solution."

"Let the Separatists leave the Republic," Dooku suggested simply.

"Those systems don't have the resources to be self-sufficient," Depa argued.

"No?" Dooku asked, "Then how are they building so many droids?"

"The InterGalactic Banking Clan," Plo Koon said.

Dooku felt some warning bell go off both in his memories and in the Force. "The IBC… I seem to remember meeting with them some twenty years ago on Serreno. I believe Qui-Gon accused the representative of inciting discord throughout the outer rim. We couldn't prove it, but it is interesting to now find them backing the Separatist movement along with the Trade Federation. And here I was under the impression the two fractions despised each other."

"His name was Hego Demask II," Sifo-Dyas said, "that Muun your Qui-Gon picked a fight with."

Dooku nodded, "Yes, that sounds right, sharp memory."

"I had cause to remember," Sifo-Dyas remarked, "Demask approached me two years ago." He frowned, "It was an odd conversation come to think of it."

"Odd how?" Mace asked.

"In light of recent information, much. This was before- well, this was before my visions changed. I was hardly sleeping, I was being plagued by visions of war and I was getting desperate."

"Feared, we did," Yoda spoke, "that wait for more information you would not."

Sifo-Dyas nodded, "Demask approached me at my lowest, he said-" he put a hand to his forehead as if fighting through a phantom pain.

Dooku sat forward, watching his friend carefully.

"He mentioned cloning on Kimino. He implied with the right funding the Council could have an army of clones created, for the safety of the Republic."

"Why would he suggest that?" Depa asked, "If the IBC is backing the Separatist movement?"

"Because banks benefit from war," Plo Koon said darkly, "Maybe not at first, but- Sifo-Dyas, are you alright?"

Sifo-Dyas had his head in both his hands now.

"_Dyas_," Dooku said, worried.

"Demask," Sifo-Dyas went on, and Dooku wasn't sure if he was hearing them, "He offered me -I said yes, I think, but I didn't have time… time to act on it. The disturbance in the Force, it was -I forgot. How could I forget?"

Dooku put a hand on his shoulder, and a wave of darkness came off the other man, and he seemed to sag in his seat, as if some nightmare or madness had released him, "The Demask Funds, he gave me funds to follow through with cloning. But I never followed through. I never brought the idea of cloning before you all, I never gave them my Council code, which he specifically asked for, or signed my name. Demask sent me messages informing the fund was there but I- I was distracted."

"When exactly did we all feel the disturbance in the Force?" Dooku asked the room at large.

They all looked at each other, apparently, no one had thought to mark it on a calendar.

Finally, Depa said, "Months before Qui-Gon brought Rey to the Temple."

Mace tapped his fingers against his chair, "Months before Master Yoda decided, before we _all _decided that taking in a nineteen year old into the Order was the will of the Force. Even if said Padawan inadvertently released more Darkness into the Force than has ever been."

Dooku shook his head, "Rey didn't do anything to the Force that wasn't there already, we just ignored it. We were unaware that the Sith even had Force spirits conscious within the Force."

"Grown clouded had the Force become," Yoda said, "Shadows has it now, but clouded it is not. More present is the Force, in all things."

Sifo-Dyas straightened suddenly, startling Dooku who pulled his hand back, "That's what Demask said to me! Not the shadows, but that the Force had grown clouded, a growing darkness. He was playing off my fears."

"He spoke of the Force?" Depa asked, "What would a member of the IBC know of the Force?"

"A con-man," Mace said disgusted, "We all fall short sometimes, leave it to a banker to take advantage of that. Do you owe interest in the loan given to you, Sifo-Dyas?"

He shook his head, "I don't know, I never, like I said, I never signed anything."

"But you did give verbal confirmation," Dooku countered.

"Yes, but- I'll have to check my records, my memories feel -slippery."

Dooku shared a worried look with Master Yoda.

Depa, a no-nonsense sort of woman and the only other living Master of Vapaad, said, "The Separatists are still members of the Republic, and if they Trade Federation and the IBC are playing them, playing both sides no-less, then we need to step in."

"We can't force them to submit to democracy," Dooku said, and held up a hand to her, "I am not saying I disagree with you, Master Billaba. What I am saying is that if these systems, the _majority,_ are being failed by the Republic, then to muscle them into submission puts us in the wrong. We are the Jedi, we know what prevails as an acceptable living standard. Water, food, shelter, basic rights, or their equivalents, the Republic neglects and shelves too many problems of these planets over planets that have resources to bribe the government."

"So what do you suggest, Dooku?" Mace asked, "Anarchy cannot be the answer, war is-"

"Is manageable," Dooku countered, "If we side against the Separatists, war is inevitable. But more importantly, if we side against the Separatists, side against the systems and people in great need, then we are failing our oaths to the Force."

Mace stared at him, "Then what do you suggest?"

"I suggest we make a deal with the Separatists. We bring them to the table and ask them to surrender their droid armies and cease manufacturing them."

"In exchange for what?"

"In exchange, the Jedi will refuse to take action against the Separatist movement if asked by the Republic."

A stirring went through the room.

"Asking us to go against the Republic is treason," Mace stated.

"Is it? Is it really, Master Windu? Because I was brought up to believe we serve the Force, not a corrupted government body. Besides, we are not going against the Republic; any action that follows the de-militarizing of the Separatists becomes easier, more diplomatic in nature. And in the process, the Jedi prevent a possible galaxy-spanning war, machine against lives."

Adi-Ki Mundi leaned back, "And we send a message to the Republic that we value our diplomacy over our ability to wage battle."

"A message you think they are starting to learn, considering how active the archives have been of late," Depa remarked.

Sifo-Dyas smiled, "My old Master is both pleased and infuriated that the archives are meeting a daily capacity."

Master Yoda chuckled, "Far from capacity, we are."

The atmosphere in the room lightened.

Plo Koon said, "So how are we going to bring all the Separatist systems to the table for this?"

Dooku smiled, "As it so happens, they have all been requesting an audience."

The Jedi Council was about to make the Senate very angry with them.

Dooku couldn't be more pleased, he looked at Sifo-Dyas who looked as if he was nursing one of his many migraines.

Dooku's enthusiasm dimmed, as he reminded himself that this was among the first steps of a long, long road.

* * *

AN: Reactions, thoughts, ideas, requestions, or baby Yoda's for soft hearted Mandos?


	13. The Mandos

To the Author _The Nameless Scribe_: Many thanks for being my coconspirator.

AN: Thank you to the reviewers supporting this story. There are a lot of time skips because I am not writing fifty pages of filler.

Powerful Female Characters: Is my Rey a Mary-sue or is she Aang, the Last Airbender?

Chapter 13 - The Mandos

"One could say that went exceedingly well, wouldn't you say Senator Sabe?" Bail asked the young Queen.

She looked up at him with amusement, "One could only hope our own proposals are met with as much excellence."

Sifo-Dyas sighed, "Politicians." Though he too was amused as he led them through the Jedi Temple to a Depa Billaba's rooms. Her main room was big enough to comfortably seat guests and it was unlikely that today anyone would walk in on them.

Dooku was talking animatedly to the younger Vopaad Master as Mace made everyone tea.

"Ah, Senator Organa and Queen Amidala, welcome."

"Nothing gets past you, does it, Coun- Master Dooku?" Padme asked, bowing her head.

"Count or Master, either is fine," he answered.

"Congratulations on your success today," Padme said.

"Is that what you would call it?" Mace grumbled as he set the table and they all took their seats.

"You de-escalated war and forced the Republic to acknowledge those it lets down, yes, I would call that a triumph," she said, then nodded to the tea, "Thank you, Master Windu."

He nodded as he took his seat, "Yes, one could only wish the rest of the Republic saw it as you do."

"I think far more people support your motion than are represented on Coruscant," Padme said.

"The Jedi have been proving themselves in the last few years to be more valuable to the galaxy than just as military threats, meaning no disrespect, Masters," Bail said.

"Yes, our peaceful victories aren't the ones that are shared around the galaxy," Mace said with only a bit of bitterness.

"Perhaps," Padme said, "or perhaps you are a secretive lot with your understated library. I hear I'm not the only 'politician' to make use of Jedi wisdom."

"Master Yoda has been taking great joy in throwing our most cryptic, long winded, academic, and curious Masters at the politicians who think they can spin a tale with Jedi backing. They find themselves flummoxed, I think we've converted a few."

Padme let herself smile, having had the opposite experience asking Masters Dooku and Jinn for advice.

"Speaking of Master Yoda, where is he?" Depa asked.

"He isn't coming," Sifo-Dyas said, "He said that if his two old Padawans, Mace and Dooku could agree on anything, then chances were good that he would agree."

Depa hid a smile as Mace and Dooku exchanged an almost fond glare.

"So what other trouble are we to place in the works?" Depa asked.

Padme and Bail both reached for their datapads.

"As I'm sure you are all aware, slavery is still a very real reality throughout the Republic, not to mention in the outer rim," Padme said, "We would like to impose an amendment."

"An amendment would take years to go through," Mace said, his voice sounded strict, but Padme caught the look of sadness in his gaze. He hid it well.

"Yes, but Master Jinn gave us an idea by asking a rather obvious question," Padme said with rising excitement.

"And what did our esteemed Master Jinn ask?" Mace asked with a long suffering side, and again, Padme caught the spark of humour in his gaze.

She imagined many people found this man intimidating and hard headed, but Padme saw through him, saw the brilliant mind behind the cynicism.

"He asked, why does slavery exist? In a galaxy where droids can be programmed to do about just about anything, why does slavery exist?"

"Wealth," Sifo-Dyas said, "slaves are expensive, but it is easier to intimidate a person than get a droid programmed. Slavery, unfortunately, proves more lucrative in the long run, no matter how hard we make it, no matter what face it wears."

"But wealth for whom?" Bail asked.

"The slave owners," Depa said.

"Slave owners don't make the laws," Padme remarked, "mostly, anyway."

Mace tapped his fingers on the table, his tea untouched, "The Senate benefits, the politicians."

"Why?" Bail asked.

"Because they are paid off," Dooku answered. "Are you suggesting we bribe the Senate to get an amendment passed?" He sounded disappointed, "You know that will never hold."

"No," Padme said, "what Master Jinn meant was that we need to make it more lucrative for politicians to end slavery than to aid it."

Dooku's curled lip sent a thrill of terror down Padme's spine. She liked Master Dooku, she really did, but he also scared her. There was just something about him that said if you pushed him too far, there wasn't anything in the galaxy that could save you.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked.

Bail answered, flipping to a drafted bill, "We were sort of inspired by the way criminal enslavement laws function. If a person is convicted of a crime they can be enslaved, if they have children with other slaves, then the children are slaves also. Well, we thought, anyone who refuses to conform to the Complete Abolition Amendment, will have their property seized from them. Ships, territories, accounts disbursed throughout the Republic from the top down."

It was stunningly simple, yet-

Depa grinned, "Oh, that, that is splendid. If you market it as that it will-"

"Cause a great deal of chaos," Mace finished, "Damnit, how does Qui-Gon manage to cause this much trouble when he isn't even here?"

"We've been working on this for months, and well, with the current situation on Naboo-"

"You mean you are holding two government positions as you elected your body double as your temporary Senator?" Mace asked riley. "I must admit, Queen Amidala, your penchant for being in two places at once is quite remarkable."

"Sabe is an excellent Senator," Padme defended.

"So are you."

She blushed, but went on, "I do truly hope we find Senator Palpatine soon, but things have been- I mean he was beloved, _is_ beloved by our people, but things have been running smoothly for us since his disappearance. He wasn't direct enough on the Senate, too willing to -to play the games."

"Senator Palpatine is no loss to the galaxy," Dooku said coldly, "I think you should keep 'Sabe' as your Senator even if the -" he took a breath, "even if he is found."

Padme looked at him, caught off guard by his harsh tone. She was a bit scared of this Master, but this is the first time she had seen him _be_ scary. She didn't want to ask what Palpatine had done to put that look in his eyes.

Bail had no such qualms, "Senator Palpatine has always spoken fairly for his people."

"Shame about his family," Mace remarked, his tone light, his eyes dark, "Of course, Qui-Gon's Padawan doesn't speak of it. I found the Nubain records of the Palpatines' 'accident' rather lax on details."

Padme stiffened. "I was told it was a horror, but I cannot say I went looking for details." She thought of the excitable girl she had first met fixing her ship on Tatooine, who had later been discovered to be a Jedi. "She wasn't there, was she?"

"As I said," Mace responded, "she doesn't speak of it."

Padme sensed there was something more to their words, and she tried not to think that there was something sinister about the man she had looked up to for years. He was more than the rich nobleman many saw him as, Senator Palpatine was a brilliant mind, if a bit too ambitious for her to be wholly comfortable helping him achieve the position of Chancellor.

And she supposed that thought in and of itself was a sign that maybe Palpatine wasn't as trustworthy as she wanted him to be.

Bail touched her shoulder, and she looked up to meet his warm brown eyes, "Sometimes the difference between the people we trust and the people we shouldn't is time."

"Is Palpatine someone I shouldn't trust?" she asked out loud.

"Yes," said Mace, Dooku, and Sifo-Dyas.

Bail and Padme looked at them taken aback.

Depa asked, "Do you know something about the Senator's disappearance?"

"No," Dooku said, "And we shall not discuss it any longer, but it is our council that you should treat Senator Sheev Palpatine with caution, he is not what he appears."

Padme felt her shoulders knot, "Then what is he?"

The Count shook his head, but Padme was nothing if not tenacious.

"He is one of my people, if you know something-"

"We know nothing we can prove," Dooku cut her off, "And perhaps if you want to know more about his character, you might want to ask Padawan Palpatine."

She kept her face neutral, "She wouldn't be the first child given up for adoption."

But Dooku was a politician too, and Padme had discovered, Jedi Masters were good at controlling their emotions when they wanted to, "No, sadly, I suppose her situation not wholly unique." He looked down at the datapads as if he had found a new determination.

"Very well, is she around?"

"She is currently on a mission," Dooku said, "Now, shall we get back to the matter at hand?"

Padme nodded, but she would not let this go. It simply wasn't in her nature.

* * *

A month or more had passed, and they found several more small bands of Trandorans. Which they had subsequently killed.

Rey had mixed feelings about this, but she didn't hesitate when the blasters went off, and those mixed feelings dissipated whenever she looked at the three Wookie children.

Their extended families were quite a ways from where they had found them. The Wookies had been on a hunt and taken ships where their guardians had been ambushed and taken.

She knew Obi-Wan was North of them and Qui-Gon East of them, as they travelled on foot through the dense foliage.

Rey loved it.

She especially loved jumping through the trees. She had never seen trees like this before, the curated gardens of the Temple could not compare.

She dropped from one of the tall branches and Harris jolted when she landed near silently beside him.

With his helmet on, she couldn't see his glare, but she felt it.

She smiled.

Briggs shook her head, "You do realize the children can't even keep up with you, right?"

Rey shrugged, stretching her arms as they walked. She liked the children, although the Mandalorians knew better than she did how to care for them. However, she was better at keeping them entertained on their long journey through games and stories, though the latter was likely because she was the only one who could understand them.

She didn't say anything as they walked now, she had nothing to report. The Mandalorians seemed to be slowly warming up to her, they had begun trusting her at least to scout ahead, though that was probably because no one could match her endurance of going back and forth while continuing to press forward.

She didn't mind this, even this constant hiking was light compared to the training she and Obi-Wan had been doing. She made it a point to practice her Ataru flips in the tree branches. She had given up on practising Shii-Cho on this mission, as her lightsaber seemed to agitate the Mandalorians.

"Seriously," Briggs went on, "Don't you ever get tired."

"Of course," Rey said, "I sleep."

"We've been on this damned planet for many weeks, travelling, on foot, and you look as fresh as the day you got here."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment," Rey said, thinking about her dive in the ocean.

"But you -even when you scout, doubling back and forth, you have the same vigor."

"The Force is with me," Rey answered, tapping Harris's shoulder. It was early still, and the Wookie's hadn't wanted to get up this morning.

Harris, Tolkien, and Maas were carrying them on their backs as the children dozed. Harris stopped, and carefully slid Dewlanna, whose name she had informed them, translated to 'Fierce Roar', onto Rey's back. Harris took her staff, strapping it on around his shoulder, he walked on straighter.

"The Force. Seems like that's the Jedi answer to everything," Briggs sniped.

Rey adjusted the Dewlanna's near dead weight on her back, before saying, "You asked where I get my physical strength from, training and the Force is the answer."

"Is it really necessary for you to do all those flips?"

"No," she said, "but it's fun."

"You haven't asked why we are here," Harris remarked.

"That's not really my business, is it?"

"You're travelling with us."

"I'm travelling with the Wookies who you are also helping."

"Most Jedi wouldn't trust that," Maas pointed out, "Most Jedi would accuse us of bringing the children back as our bounty."

Rey raised her brows at them, "Aside from the fact that we have since met many other Wookies, I know that Mandalorians aren't slavers. I've never seen or heard of any of you going after children. I had assumed it was a part of your code or something."

"It is," Tolkien said. "We protect our children."

Rey didn't point out the obvious, but asked instead, "How do you define your children?"

"Mandalorian is not a race, but a creed," Tolkien said, "These three have no one, they are under our care until we reunite them with their people or until they came of age."

"Just like that," Rey asked, "You would adopt them?"

"Yes," Maas said, "And we would train them, when they came of age, they could decide whether to leave or follow our Canons of Honor."

Rey thought of all the Mandalorians she had encountered throughout her life. They had been employed by the Hutts or others, but they- she had never been afraid of them, not the way others had. Maybe the Force liked them? Or maybe surrounded by criminals and people of desperation, the honour the Mandalorians held themselves with had been a tangible reality to her.

"Who can become a Mandalorian?" she asked them.

"Anyone," Tolkien said, "Even a Jedi, we've had Force sensitives join in the past. As long as they follow our codes, live by them, die by them, they are Mandalorian."

Her mind spun. She wouldn't have left Jakku on her own, not after she had won her freedom. That sounded contrary even in her own head. But she had no way to get out of the outer rim safely when she was younger, _choosing_ to wait for her parents had been -in part, a way of making peace with that reality.

She had learned that about herself in her countless meditations over the last two years. Even if she still couldn't determine the future or the past together, she knew herself.

And she now wanted to know that if Master Jinn hadn't found her, she might have had a path to freedom at her fingertips all along.

"So, if a five year old girl had asked you for help, asked to join you, the Mandalorians would have taken me?"

Briggs huffed, "Of course we would have helped, but I fail to see how a daughter of the Senator Naboo would need saving -ah yes, princess, I recognized your name; _Palpatine_."

Rey flinched, as much as she was trying to remake her name, it was sometimes still hard to be called _his_ daughter. To know that rich and well-liked Senator Sheev Palpatine and his wife had sold her away.

Aside from being cruel, the only cold logic she could make of it was either they had despised her being a Force sensitive, or had wanted to ensure that though she lived, their paths would never cross again.

The latter seemed most likely, especially with her father's refusal to acknowledge he remembered her.

Briggs kept poking when Rey didn't say anything, "You gave us that rubish about Tatooine, but you're a rich Nubian-"

"I was a slave," Rey interrupted her, "I was a slave and I earned my freedom with no one's help. Now I am a Jedi, Senator Palpatine owns no part of me."

The last she said more to her own feelings as she let them flow to the Force.

Briggs was rendered silent.

Chakraborty, who was the de facto leader and had not talked much to Rey at all after that first day, asked, "You were kidnapped."

Rey didn't look at him, not that his masked face would have done her much good anyway, "My parents sold me when I was five years old."

"Why?" he asked her, voice hard.

"I don't know, my father has not said. Though I suppose I haven't given him many chances to."

"There isn't a reason good enough."

She disagreed, if only to retain hope that the mother and father in her memories who had loved her had been real.

She held those memories close, and she knew she avoided her father, not because she hated him, but she feared that the truth of him would cast those memories into grim reality.

Better to have been loved and betrayed, than from the start to have mattered nothing to them at all.

Chakraborty spoke, drawing her from her thoughts, "To answer your question, yes, if you had asked for help at any point, we would have helped you, child."

"You could join us now, in fact," Tolkien said in a sing song voice.

Rey laughed, Dewlanna stirred on her shoulders, "Thanks, but I have a family now, the Jedi are good people."

Briggs said something in Mandalorian.

If they kept doing that Rey was determined to pick up on the lanaguage.

Maas said, as Jiwarr slid down from his back, staggered then trotted ahead of them, "It's the fancy swords, isn't it? We have those too you know. Impractical things really, though, blasters are better."

Rey let Dewlanna off her back as she joined Aribecca and Jiwarr, picking off various berries on the path they were treading.

"I actually still favour my staff to a lightsaber or blaster. It's what I grew up with. Besides, levitating ships and rocks have been pairing pretty well with it," she said, putting more cheer into her voice then she felt in that moment.

Maybe in another life she could have been a Mandalorian, maybe in another life the Jedi could have found her sooner, maybe in another life her parents had loved her enough to keep her.

Or maybe she had always been destined to live and die in the deserts of Jakku, alone, friendless, and her passing a matter of no importance to anyone.

She shook herself, focusing on her breathing, remembering what Master Jinn said to her as much as Obi-Wan, _Focus on the moment, only the present requires your action._

She was Master Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan on her first ever Jedi mission. The maybe's and could have been's were passed, and she was happy with her life as it was turning out. There was no other version of herself that was _her._

The Mandalorians had gone oddly quiet looking between each other. She was beginning to believe that this Mandalorian language they seemed so protective of was really made of interrupting different types of silent, expressionless looks.

But even Rey could read body language.

"What?" she asked.

Chakraborty said, "Would you mind scouting again? I think we are getting close."

Rey nodded and leaped straight up, her feet hardly having time to let her weight touch the branch before she was moving on.

She heard Briggs swear in a long stream of Mandalorian.

And Rey smiled, even if a memory tugged on her of that language. Of the heartbroken tone of one Mandalorian arguing with another.

They had paid her to fix their ship, they had been travelling a long way and their ship had been old, very old, but in good repair. It hadn't been difficult to fix and she had been grateful they had asked her rather than one of the professional mechanics.

She remembered that incident well because only that morning someone had stolen her portions.

She had listened closely to the Mandalorians despite not being able to understand their meaning to distract from the cramping in her stomach.

Maybe Tolkien would translate the words for her.

oOo

They had indeed been close.

A family of Wookies came out to them, wary at first, but unlike the Mandalorians, became warm when discovering Rey was a Jedi.

Rey played the translator for them all.

The Wookies said that a Jedi -her Master, had come through a few weeks ago and stopped a Trandoshan ship from carrying off their Wookie captives.

Aribecca and Dewlanna's father had not made it, but their mother nearly strangled them in a hug on being reunited.

Neither of Jiwarr's parents had made it, but his relatives and the larger community welcomed him home with as much love as could be wished for.

In answer to the Mandalorians' question of their mysterious bounty, the Wookies gave them a report to the Northern border of an intruder that had stolen food but had snuck away before anyone could catch a solid look at him. They knew only that it had not been a Trandoshan.

They camped there for the night, and Chakraborty asked if she wanted to continue travelling with them.

She reached out through the bonds, _Obi-Wan, where are you?_

_Busy, Padawan._

_Direction? _she asked.

_North._

She pulled back, not wanting to distract him from whoever he was fighting.

She told Chakraborty she would like to go on with them, seeing as the further North they went, the more trouble there seemed to be.

She stayed out late scouting with the Wookies that night.

Rey felt Master Jinn's thoughts touch hers, _Get some sleep, Padawan mine. You need it, and I have just received word that Rael, Quinlan, and Padawan Aayla were successful in their mission. We will stay at least another month, rest tonight._

Not really sure how Master Jinn knew she was beginning to push herself, she managed a few hours before dawn.

She had finished breakfast when she found Jiwarr sitting on his own, legs swinging from the balcony that had been worked artfully into the tree trunk.

Wookies lived in trees as it turned out, and the trees of Kashyyk were mighty enough to house them without much strain.

She could now feel the presence of the Mandalorians in the Force, their presences as familiar to her as Jiwarr's.

But though the Wookie children she had been travelling with had been hyperactive and adventure filled, their fear made worse by every Trandoshan party they met trying to hunt Wookies, sorrow now hung heavy on the young child's shoulders.

To lose both of one's parents...

She sat down beside him, "You know they loved you, and no matter how much time passes, they will always be your parents. That love is real, and no one can ever take that away from you."

He turned to her, his brown eyes sad, "~They took us from our homes, Jedi Rey.~"

She put her hand on his hairy back, "But they couldn't take your homes from you. Wookies are strong, Jiwarr, the whole galaxy knows that. The Trandorans know that, that's why they had to be dishonourable to even hope to capture you."

"~My parents died fighting.~"

"Your parents fought for you, Jiwarr, for your home, your future. As long as you live, your parents will never die."

She wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but it felt right, and Jiwarr hugged her.

It was worth the bruises.

When they parted for the last time, Rey unstrapped her staff from her back. She bowed to Jiwarr, holding the staff out to him.

He looked at her wide eyed.

"It's a little long for you now, but you'll grow into it."

Jiwarr took it, his deep brown eyes filled with emotion, "~I will protect it with my life, Jedi Rey.~"

But Rey shook her head, "No, Jiwarr, this is to protect your life, as it has protected mine. Live well, my young friend. May the Force be with you."

Clumsily the young Wookie bowed back, hugging her staff to him, as he repeated in his own speech, "May the Force be with you, Friend Rey."

She bowed again, and waved goodbye to the rest of the Wookies as she continued North with the Mandalorians.

She felt, for a lack of a better euphemism, unmaned without her staff, but she thought Jiwarr might need it more than she did. Besides Obi-Wan was probably going to be disappointed in how seldom she had used her lightsaber on this mission so far.

Chakraborty said to her as they walked on, "He will, you know, treasure that staff. Probably decorate it in feathers and beads as is Wookie custom, but treasure it nonetheless."

She didn't look at him, "I hope he does better than I did. I spent so much time looking back, I rarely thought of life off-" _Jakku._ "I never thought I could be more than a daughter."

He nodded, "If this was your intent for such a gift, then yes, I suppose it would lead him forward. You told him in word and action to fight, to fight with honour. That staff will pass down the generations with that mantle."

She blushed, "I didn't mean for all that, I just hoped- I just wanted to give him something other than sorrow to hold onto."

"You live with honour, child, and that is bigger than you will ever be."

Rey suppressed a smile, much more comfortable with the backhanded compliment than the idea of generations of Wookies from now cherishing her staff.

"Careful, Mando, you're starting to sound like a Jedi."

Chakraborty sighed, "You do know the Jedi is a brain washing cult, correct?"

"It's a religion, not a cult," she said with a grin. "Besides, they aren't brainwashing me, they're teaching me the art of the flippy."

"So they wish you to believe. And I think your acrobatics must be considered a form of torture on at least serval planets."

Rey laughed.

oOo

They travelled another week before the Mandalorians finally shared what they were hunting with her.

"He killed two of our warriors in their sleep and three of our children for sport," Briggs said. "The damn coward is hiding out on this planet because he heard of the chaos happening here. But he thought the Wookies would fight us off."

"I think we have been more slowed down from saving Wookies from those lizard goons than the Wookies themselves," Harris remarked. "I didn't realize Trandoshans were quite so suicidal."

"Greed outways common sense far too often in this galaxy," Tolkien said mournfully, staring up at a particularly tall tree.

Rey had been slicing Trandoshans in half lately now that she didn't have her staff or children around to traumatize. She didn't care what anyone said, lightsabers were not diplomatic weapons, they were killing weapons.

It bothered her that they had no weight. She felt the death of her foes in the Force, but her hands on her handle, the weapon she decapitated them with, she might as well have been slicing through butter.

And there was something almost -almost intimate about killing someone with a lightsaber as opposed to shooting them or dropping large objects on their heads. And with her staff, she had been in complete control of if she wanted to hurt someone or kill someone.

The saber was so dangerous that she felt that control stripped from her. Even if she meant to kill them, it _felt_ different.

She asked, "Are you going to kill him or-"

"We are bringing him back to Mandalore," Harris said, "where he will either be tried and executed, or our government is going to have a revolt on its hands."

"Wait," Rey said, her attention snapping from a stone that bore a saber strike, likely Obi-Wan's as it wasn't one of hers. "You guys have a planet?"

They all looked at her.

Harris remarked, "I thought you've met Mandalorians before?"

"I have! No one mentioned there they were from to me. What's Mandalore like?"

"What do the Jedi teach you in that Temple?" Maas asked.

"I've only been a Padawan for two years, and it's a big galaxy. I haven't memorized it, much less heard all the stories of all its people."

"Two years?" Chakraborty asked, stopping to face her, "What do you mean two years? The Jedi found you on Tatooine when you were young, no?"

"They found me two years ago," Rey said, "Hense how I really do know Mandalorians, Hutts pay out the nose for everything."

"The Jedi don't take in Force sensitives that old."

"My Master convinced them otherwise."

"Explains why she's jerky with a lightsaber," Briggs remarked.

"I am not jerky," she said, walking past Chakraborty, "I just- well, I don't have the basics down yet."

"Baby Jedi," Briggs sniggered.

"So you are a foundling," Maas concluded.

"A what?" she asked.

"One of our found children," Tolkien rephrased.

"I'm not a child," Rey argued, "I'm a Jedi."

"A baby Jedi," Harris said, putting an arm around her shoulder.

She glared up at him, "I have been taking care of myself for as long as I can rightly remember, Mando, I haven't been a child for a very long time."

Maas came up to her other side, putting an arm over Harris's, "No, you're definitely a foundling."

Rey was almost grateful when she heard an angry Wookie call ahead of them.

oOo

After that day, two weeks passed, where they found Wookies, but no Wookies in distress. Every other settlement or camp they found greeted Rey with recognition as a Jedi, because they were following Obi-Wan's path North.

The Trandoshans were indeed retreating, somewhere even leaving the planet.

But most were going Eastward, hiding behind the places Master Jinn had already helped as they ran from Obi-Wan. Master Jinn had ordered Rey to come at the marauders from the SouthWest, effectively pinning the last group they knew of.

It seemed Rey had been more successful in killing every Trandoshan they crossed as she had the extra, nay, excessive, fire power of five Mandalorians with her.

When she told the Mandalorians she needed to part ways, the group offered to split to go with her, but she shook her head, "I thank you, but I am meeting with my Master and friend. Three Jedi will be enough."

"May you find the Way, Foundling," Chakraborty said.

"And may the Force be with you, Mandos," she said in turn before bowing to them.

And they bowed back.

oOo

Rey met up with the Mandalorians again before she reached Obi-Wan and Master Jinn, or more precisely, she met the Mandalorians' prey.

He was a runner, and she felt his path in the Force, felt the five Mandalorians chasing after him.

_Their armour must be stifling on this planet,_ Rey thought as she hid behind a tree, saber hilt in hand.

She waited two minutes.

The man, with wild blue eyes, unkempt beard, and shaved head, went down like a sack of sand when Rey came around the trunk of the tree swinging.

Between her drawing on the Force, and him running full tilt, the blow was enough to knock him silly.

"Foundling," Chakrabocky said, his voice a bit breathy. He took off his helmet to give her a look, "I don't think that's how those were intended to be used."

"I built the extended hilt, it is not a design fault."

Harris came trotting up, he knelt by their prey. "Hey, look, the baby Jedi didn't kill him," he said cheerily as he rolled the man over to put a pair of manacles on him. He then proceeded to disarm and gag the man.

"You said he was to stand trial," Rey pointed out.

"Yeah," Briggs said, "But we wouldn't have been in trouble if a Jedi put him out of his sorry excuse of an existence."

Harris pulled the guy roughly to his feet, "Well, I guess we can finally get off this sweat pit."

Chakraborty shook his head, "No, we will help the Jedi. No one is going to say we owe you one."

"That isn't necessary," Rey told them, even as she felt both Obi-Wan and Master Jinn, open the bonds to tell her to hold position and be _ready_. They were two to five days out.

He jabbed a thumb back at the prey, "We didn't need help either, but you gave it. And though you might not think the Jedi need our help, in my experience, overkill is simply a matter of opinion."

oOo

Later that night when they made camp, all the Mandalorians were in a far better mood than Rey had ever known them to be. Their ship had been brought down to them by a droid.

So high were their spirits, in fact, that kept switching to Mandalorian speech, and Chakraborty gave the all clear for them to teach her a few choice phrases.

But when she asked technical questions, Tolkien's face lit up as he began to truly teach her some Mandalorian.

Rey was pretty sure they were trying to convert her from Jedi to Mando, a feeling which intensified when Maas had her try on his silver helmet.

When she took it off her hair was a mess and the firelight seemed overly bright, the helmets having decent night vision. She began to take out her buns to redo them, "The Jedi didn't make me change outfits," she quipped.

"You're telling us you always dressed in straps of cloth?" Harris asked.

"I don't understand you can wear that much armour all of the time," she said in turn, "especially on a planet like this."

"How do you survive on a snow planet?" Briggs countered.

Rey made a face.

"Little Foundling, are you missing your staff?" Maas said in a teasing tone, "Your poor saber is going to get damaged if you keep using it as a bludgeon."

She sighed, "I am just going to get better at using it."

Maas hummed, his grey eyes closing as if he was picturing something in his mind. She found the half smile on his wide lips a bit eerie if not disturbing.

Chakraborty was watching his man with a similar wariness.

"Foundling," Harris began, "What else do you know about Mandalorians?"

"I've learned more with you lot than I have had with any other dealings with Mandalorians."

"Any pressing questions?" Harris asked.

If they were seriously trying to convert her they were going to be disappointed. "Not reall- you know what? I think, well, I overheard a conversation between two Mandalorians I was hired by once. And you don't have to translate if it is sensitive information, but it stayed with me. Just the way the words were spoken… I just always wondered."

Tolkien sat forward, "Certainly, if you think you can recite it clearly enough."

Rey closed her eyes, and spoke the words slowly, haltingly, not at all as they had been said in her memory. But the graveness of the words remained clear in her mind, as if the Force itself held them for her.

When she opened her eyes the faces of the five Mandalorians were confused and sombre.

Rey shook her head, "I'm sorry, it was personal, wasn't it? You don't have to share-"

"No," Tolkien said, "It wasn't personal, Foundling, it was profoundly odd. You mispronounced a few words but your... I can't think of another translation or what else they could have meant. But it is a strange thing for any Mandalorian to say."

She waited, refusing to push more than she already had.

"_Our world was shattered by the Empire,"_ Tolkien translated, "_Where our strength was once in our numbers. Now we live in the shadows and only come above ground one at a time."_

Briggs looked down at her hands, "That does not make sense, none at all. But you couldn't have- I mean unless you are really, _really_ good at playing dumb, you couldn't have crafted those sentences yourself."

Rey was fighting to control her own breath, _the Empire._

Again her past life betrayed her. The words of the black masked giant filled her mind, _You do not belong here, girl. This is not your time, they are not your Masters._

She breathed deeply, letting her fear go to the Force.

She wasn't going insane. The Force was real, _she_ was here. Screw the timeline, she was here and she did belong. Master Jinn and Obi-Wan _were _her masters.

Screw that vision giant.

He wasn't real, _she_ was.

The Mandalorians had been speaking between themselves when finally, Tolkien asked, "Jedi have visions, correct?"

"Yes," she said, really wishing she didn't.

"Could this be a vision perhaps, a warning of sorts of what is to come?" he asked.

She tilted her head, "It feels like a memory, but-" _I may be crazy._ "But, I suppose it is possible. Though, even if it is, I warn you, our Grandmaster says to be ever wary of Force gifted visions. They show possibilities, reflections of our fears, and the future is always in motion."

"So what's the point of having them?" Harris asked.

Rey shrugged, "Only the Force knows."

Harris narrowed his eyes at her, "You've been brainwashed, Foundling, we can save you, if you let us."

She laughed at his tone of voice as much as the tension breaking, "Honestly, is the history between the Mandalorians and the Jedi really that bad?"

Resounding silence.

She sighed, "I'll take that as a yes."

"How can you not know?" Briggs asked.

"Don't take it personally," Rey said, folding her legs up to her chest, "I thought the Jedi were a myth before I met my Master. Obi-Wan was quite upset when I didn't know there was a Temple on Coruscant."

"That damned palace," Harris cursed, "What kind of home is that for people who claim to give up all attachments, turning their backs on their kin?"

Rey rested her chin on her knees, "I don't like the Temple much, I don't like Coruscant much either, but they are my people, and I would follow them anywhere."

Another silence, and finally Maas said, "What if I told you we could make you a staff that was lightsaber resistant?"

She tilted her head, "What do you have in mind?"

"Do you trust us?"

Her lips turned up, "Maybe."

"I think I know how to upgrade your saber. I keep a forge on my ship-"

"Because he's a hopeless tinkerer," Harris shot in.

"He's one of our greatest weapons masters," Chakrabocky chastised.

Maas finished, "and it would only take me this night and a day."

"You want to redesign my lightsaber into a staff?" she asked.

"I hear mistrust in your voice, Foundling," Chakrabocky said with a smirk.

"You want to forge for me a Jedi weapon?" she asked Maas who put a hand to his plated chest.

"I'm a Mandalorian, weapons are a part of _my_ religion."

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, ideas, requests, or Wookie hugs? I have 10,000 words to go to meet my goal by Monday, so please if you enjoyed this at all drop me a comment?


	14. The Sith

WARNING!: This is a torture chapter, not overly gory, no slaughtering of younglings, but not kind.

KEYnote: I will be releasing **another** chapter **today**, so I know this is a short one but it needed to be separate from the next chapter which is longer and happier.

Chapter 14 - The Sith

Darth Maul had finally received a message from his Master. That message commanded his presence. He frowned at the address located in a storage lot in the underworld.

It was where Darth Sidious had trained him, the location was close to the surface but sound proofed as it was, no one had ever found them.

He was braced for just about anything his Master had planned. Even if he was contacting him now, Maul still feared Sidious had been in need of saving. Naboo's politics had seemed to go against everything his Master had envisioned. Then there was the shutting down of the droid factories throughout the Republic and the de-escalation of the Separatist movement…

No, Maul was not expecting his Master to be in high spirits.

But he knew the minute he entered the space that it hadn't been his Master at all who had called him.

All the lights were on.

His Master didn't like the overhead lights.

"Darth Maul," greeted a voice as Maul turned a corner.

Maul dropped to his knee, bowing his head to the tall figure before him, "Darth Plagueis."

Lord Plagueis walked a circle around him, "Obedient."

A long finger traced the dip between his skull and neck, and Maul fought himself not to flinch away.

In one touch, he felt the other Sith's power.

More powerful than his Master, more power than he could comprehend.

"Fearful," Plagueis mused, before grabbing Maul's head. Those fingers gripped him by his horns, and bowed back his spine, using the Force to increase his speed and strength.

Maul used his training to keep from lashing out.

If he lost control, Plagueis would kill him, he knew this as surely as he knew his Master was not coming to save him.

Plagueis's yellow red-rimmed irises stared down into his own, before lifting him up, the pressure on his horns making him want to rip out of his grip, but then he was being thrown to the ground.

Maul caught himself with his hands.

"Stand up, apprentice. You have more power in you than Sidious managed to tap. I will rectify this."

He stood, turning to face the Muun with wariness, "Did you kill my Master, Lord Plagueis?"

Plagueis observed him coldly for a long time before he said, "You do not know, do you?"

Maul said nothing, guessing correctly it was a rhetorical question.

Sidious liked the sound of his own voice too.

Plagueis laughed, "Poor little Dathomirian, apprentice you are not. You would know if he was truly dead, you should know that Sidious is alive, if not well. You share no bond with him, do you?"

Maul felt fear creep into his muscles at the change in the other Sith's tone.

"I can feel that there is no Master and apprentice bond in you as exists between Sidious and I. You are anyone's meat, Zabrak. A Sith you are not."

Maul bit his tongue to keep from hissing at the Lord. He wanted to run, he probably should have, but he would not be slain from behind.

"Go chain yourself up."

Darth Maul went completely motionless, not having to look at the chains hanging in the corner to know where the Muun indicated. The spot where Sidious had tortured him for countless hours. Where he had been strung up for days at a time, where his birthmarks had been replaced by needle point tattoos.

The humiliation of an artist sticking pins in him as he held still through the pain.

"Did you hear me, _Zabrak?_ Go chain yourself up. I will not ask again," Darth Plagueis repeated, his tone amused with his own sick pleasure.

_Zabrak_, not his name, not his origin, not his title, just _Zabrak_. A _Muun_ shouldn't have addressed him as such, no matter how much the Sith Lord outranked him in power and knowledge, but Maul knew why.

When Sidious was at his cruellest, he addressed Maul as such.

Hatred laced his veins as he turned stiffly to the corner. There was no escape for him, and pain he could take. He could play this game. He could run later if he needed to, he had only to survive.

And he was a _Zabrak_, he could take quite a lot.

The manacles when he was standing were about chin height. He still hadn't figured out how the lock mechanisms worked, he was mostly insensible by the time Sidious let him down, his thoughts too muddied by the rush of the Dark Side to focus on something as minor as locks.

"Kneel," Plagueis ordered.

Maul dropped, making no effort to slow his descent. The pain of his knees hitting the floor was nothing with what was about to come.

If Plagueis thought he was going to break him, he was wrong. Maul could fight through Sidious's lightning attacks, pain was an old friend to him.

Plagueis grabbed him by the chin, and Maul growled low in his chest at him. Only his Master dared to touch him like that.

"Sidious gave you power through your hatred, through your humiliation, rage, and fear. I will give you pain, Darth Maul. You will be my creature, loyal to me and me alone, because I will give you more power, more pain than you could ever have imagined."

If it had been anyone else, Maul might have bitten him. Yes, his Master had trained him with pain, but it was a gross simplification to say it had been the torture that had forged his loyalty.

Maul was loyal to Sidious because they shared a purpose, because in order to further the Sith, working together as a route to victory against the Jedi.

But according to Plagueis, he wasn't Sith.

He could go off himself for all Maul cared.

"Do you know what pain is, _Zabrak?_"

Maul didn't dignify that question with a response.

Plagueis reached down to unhook his saber from his side. In a seemingly effortless motion, he broke the saber in two.

Maul's growl built in his gut but he didn't let it spill from his lips even as his throat vibrated. He could fix the saber, as he built the saber on two separate circuits.

Plagueis hooked one to his own belt before igniting the other half, cutting Maul's robes from his body without brushing his skin with the beam.

Sidious didn't have that much control.

Turning off the blade, he pocketed it, and patted Maul's cheek, "Pain, my child, is your nerve endings telling you that something is wrong. Injuries don't hurt you, your nerve endings, their breaking, hurt you."

Maul refused to speak.

And then he refused to scream when the skin on his chest ripped off, sliced with the finest of blades, he refused to scream.

He looked down at his chest expecting to find a bloody mess. What he saw instead was impossible.

His flesh was completely undamaged, but it felt-

Plagueis laughed, his voice coming filtered through his mask, "You begin to understand. Call to the Force, my apprentice. I will make you _powerful_."

Maul called on the Force, tore it from its slumber, tried to meet Plagueis's surgical use of the Dark Side with a blast of his own.

But Plagueis only laughed as he shattered the pain receptors that would have informed Maul if his bones had been broken.

He roared, straining at the chains that he himself had put in place.

Plagueis did not stop, did not relent.

Maul kept pulling on the Force, and when it fought him, he pulled harder, forcing it into submission to the tune of his own physical torment.

"Oh!" the Muun exclaimed, "You have two hearts, I didn't realize how hardy your kind was. I see why your females make beasts of burden of you. Humans wouldn't have even endured this long."

Maul lashed at him in his chains, fighting his bonds like a large feline in a wire fence.

Plagueis broke the actual bone of his leg several inches above his knee.

Maul screamed, as his Master's Master used the Force to cut through a thousand smaller pain receptors throughout his body.

oOo

He didn't know how long had passed, but eventually, even his endurance failed him. The hatred, the humiliation… faded in importance, he held the Force to him with pain alone, braced against Plagueis's attacks because as long as he was conscious he would fight.

He would fight until death ended him.

He became pain, he became _power._

He pushed back at Plagueis, threw the full weight of the Force he had been spilling within himself. It attacked the Sith Lord with a scream, the Force itself _screaming_, black and inky, seeking revenge.

Plagueis stumbled back.

Maul bared his teeth, the strain of that attack had almost killed him, leaving him too weak to reach for control of the power again.

The Muun straightened, "Was that the best you could do? I would call it impressive, but it wasn't. You are weaker than I could have imagined."

Maul hissed at him, finding that he did have hatred enough, strength enough to try again.

But he didn't have time.

Plagueis ripped into places he had previously left untouched, and the new pain, unexpected, fresh -was -it was too much.

It must have been hours, it might have been days. Maul wasn't wholly conscious through it all.

Pain was all he knew, past reckoning, past processing, past -past anything.

If he had had words, if his throat hadn't been torn from screaming, he might have begged for it to stop.

But the hurt didn't stop.

He was reduced to less than an animal. He was an open wound, sentient enough only to know that he was hurt.

oOo

He must have fallen unconscious, because he woke in his chains with a whimper when Plagueis grabbed him by the jaw.

"I will leave you now, my apprentice," the Pain Giver whispered in his ear, "You will never betray me. You are mine, no matter where you go, no matter what you become, you are _my creature._"

Fear filled him, and if he could have answered, he would have agreed. For the chance that this would stop, for the chance that he would never have to experience this again, for the fear of the possibility of something worse, he would promise anything.

He was the Pain Giver's creature.

He was his.

Everything he was, everything he feared, was the Pain Giver's.

oOo

Time passed again, no fresh pain came.

Maul blinked his eyes open, he was covered in dry blood, his leg was broken and- he stopped cataloguing his injuries, flinching away from the memories of how he had ended up this way.

He began to panic.

The Pain Giv- _NO!_

_Lord Plagueis_ was gone, and Maul couldn't stay in these chains any longer.

He had to escape. He _had_ to.

He strained upward, gritting his teeth against the pain that ignited through him. But he got his hands around the chains and he tore into the Force as he tore the chains from the ceiling.

He grunted as he hit the ground and the chains slapped down on his back.

He didn't care, he just needed to get away. He snarled at the bright lights.

He crawled, dragging himself across the floor to a shelving unit across the room.

It took a long time, each moment an agony.

He used his pain to bully the Force into helping him. He was so weak, so crazed, he thought the Force was screaming back at him.

Maul managed to curl himself under the shelf, he had to pull his legs into position, he hissed at the sensation of his broken bone in his thigh. But he was safe under the shelf now, his back to the lights.

He closed his eyes, thinking of how he was going to get out of here. Of how he could hide from Plagueis.

He was shaking uncontrollably, and he growled at himself because the shaking _hurt_, he needed to be still, he needed to think.

He couldn't go out like this into the underworld. He wouldn't make it a block even if he somehow managed to get to his feet -foot.

He moaned, he _hurt_.

No one was coming, no one was going to help him.

Sidious would kill him if he found him like this.

Maul didn't want to die.

He tried again to turn his pain to power, he wanted to _live_. He sent his desperation to the Force to lure it to him.

The Force came to his call but it came like a lashing fish with stingers.

Maul jerked as power flooded him, his pain tripling, he screamed as the Force turned against him.

He cried then.

He didn't know what to do, he hurt, he just wanted to live, to survive this.

He wanted the pain to _stop_.

Maul gave up. He stopped. Stopped fighting.

Let the Force kill him. The Force was bigger than anything, he could accept that, he could accept death under its embrace.

He surrendered himself to the Force.

And the Force did not snuff him out, though it could have, it did not. The Force pulled him in, away from his physical form that the Force took over like a cool spill of water.

Maul opened his eyes, staring at his cuffed hands in the shadows as the _Light _filled him.

The Force on its own behest, began to mend his wounds, slowly, slowly, but…

He slumped, giving it all to the Force, his will, his pain, his fear, _all of it_.

In turn, the Force, the Light, gave him freedom from it all.

He didn't know what to think of this, didn't know how to pair it with the teachings his Master had given him, but right then, Maul did not care.

Everything else had betrayed him, failed him.

He was utterly alone in this world.

But he had the Force, and the Force had him.

And the Force was a more tender Master than Darth Maul could have ever imagined.

* * *

AN: I will post another chapter with the Mandos today, but do you have any thoughts, reactions, or ideas on Maul's story progression, pretty please?


	15. Poisoned Tea

Reviewers: Thank you, they mean a great deal to me and each and everyone makes this story worth sharing!

A Thousand Apologies: All the technology failures including having to rewrite parts of this chapter and re-edit :'(. Sorry for the extra mistakes and the time this took. But there it is a 100,000 words in a month and a few days. Will I slow down writing? Likely not, I have this thing plotted and I keep finding extra divots to explore. So no sign of stopping, I'm having far too much fun.

Chapter 15 - Poisoned Tea

Obi-Wan hoped Rey and Qui-Gon were enjoying their time here more than he was, _they_ liked plants.

The Trandoshans were a stupid and aggressive. The only reason they ran was to go after profit, sacrificing their comrades without a qualm. He was happy that Rael and his team had been able to stop the money fueling this sickening venture.

Wookies were strong and occasionally aggressive, but that wasn't their nature.

He was sitting in a tree five days later, the group of Trandoshans almost within sight.

He felt Rey's bright presence in the Force before she landed on the branch.

"Obi-Wan!" she greeted with a smile, her hazel eyes sparkling.

Something relaxed in him when he saw that she was, in fact, fine, just as Qui-Gon had told him, repeatedly.

They hugged, and when they pulled back, he said, "I've missed you. Camping in the woods is lonely work."

She made herself comfortable, resting her staff across her lap, "I've missed you too, my travelling companions kept giving me crap about being a part of a cult."

"You ended up travelling with a group of Wookies?" he asked, looking at the smooth staff of metal. It had some patterning to it, but he couldn't think of where she would have acquired such an item on Kashyyyk.

"Oh, yeah, we found three younglings. We brought them back to their families in one of the settlements you passed through."

"You found that female's children? That's wonderful. Whose we? And what happened to your staff?" he looked her over, "Rey, where's your lightsaber?"

She grinned, "I gave it to the Mandalorians, and they made this staff out of Mandalorian iron, Beskar, for me. Apparently, it can withstand a lightsaber blade for a time."

Obi-Wan gaped at her, "Did you say Mandalorians?" There were Mandalorians on Kashyyyk! Leave it to Rey to find the most dangerous people on the planet. He had so many questions, how was she alive? Why had she been travelling with them? What the hell had she been thinking? But one thought stuck with him, "Wait did you say you gave _Mandalorians_ your lightsaber?"

"Yes, and they made me this staff," she said, putting her hand on it fondly.

"Rey!" he exclaimed. The Council was going to demote them.

"What? Obi-Wan-"

Whatever she was about to say was put on hold as Qui-Gon called through the bonds, _Be ready, Padawans._

Rey whistled, and she sent back through the bonds, _The Mandalorians are with us._

_What?_ came back Qui-Gon's confused response.

They saw Qui-Gon's green saber through the foliage as a dozen or more Trandoshans ran away from them. Rey ran to another tree, cutting them off from the South as she dropped. Her staff blazed to life as a dual bladed lightsaber with an iron core.

What in all the worlds? But he didn't have long to think on it as he dropped from his position, covering the West and from the North?

Five Mandalorians arrived guns blazing.

And pointed at the Trandoshans.

Obi-Wan shared a wide eyed look with Qui-Gon as the eight of them made short work of the Trandoshans.

It would have been generous as if he said the Trandoshans lasted a minute.

The three of them were left staring at the five Mandalorians, both sides had their weapons out.

Obi-Wan felt the tension knotting in his shoulder blades.

He would not die like this.

Rey turned off her staff-saber-thing, and bowed to the Mandalorians, "Thanks, but I told you we didn't need help. Overkill indeed."

Qui-Gon turned off his saber too, and Obi-Wan followed even as he stood stiffly.

The Mandalorians lowered their weapons in turn. One of them wearing a silver helmet asked, "How do you like it?"

"You're a genius," she said with a grin, "I like the internal switch, and the patterning is just enough for a grip without being uncomfortable."

A furrow appeared between Qui-Gon's brows as he tried to decipher the dynamics and the meaning of Rey's exchange.

Obi-Wan, sadly, had figured it out, "They remade her lightsaber." She was going to give him more grey hairs than Qui-Gon. He was still in his twenties, but he was certain that if this was their _first_ official mission together then their future was doomed.

Qui-Gon cut a sharp look at Rey, "Explain, Padawan Palpatine."

But a Mandalorian wearing blue armour stepped forward as if Rey was in need of defending, "Are you her Master Jedi? You left your Foundling ill prepared for the strife the Jedi cause."

Obi-Wan thought of Jango Fett who had killed five Jedi with his bare hands. This didn't mean that these Mandalorians were as capable, but it certainly meant Rey shouldn't have been on her own with them.

Before Qui-Gon could form a response, Rey said, "Yep, this is my Master, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and my friend, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Master Jinn, Obi-Wan, this is Chakraborty, Maas, Harris, Briggs, and last but never least, Tolkien."

Obi-Wan watched from the corner of his eye as Qui-Gon took in a deep breath before releasing it, "It is an honour to meet you, Mandalorians. How long have you been travelling with my Padawan?"

Obi-Wan couldn't see their expressions, but he felt their amusement.

"Months," Chakraborty the blue armoured one said, "We found her."

"No, you didn't, I found you," Rey argued. "And again, not your Foundling."

Chakraborty did a very remarkable thing then, he took off his helmet, a sign that they either thought they were in no danger -which when facing off three Jedi shouldn't have been the case, or a sign of trust.

Obi-Wan glanced at Rey, it had to be the latter, whatever her faults, Rey was of the trustworthy sort.

"Come," Chakraborty said, "A hot meal to celebrate. That was the last of them, was it not, Master Jinn?"

Obi-Wan was not prepared for them to be so civil.

He felt Qui-Gon's surprise through their bond as well, but ever prepared for a moment's change and the unexpected, his Master bowed his head, "The last we know of, the Wookies communications have not been alerted to any more attacks or foreign ships entering the atmosphere. And we would be honoured to share a meal with you."

Obi-Wan wasn't sure 'honoured' was the right word but held his tongue as they walked back to the Mandalorians' camp.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon sat on either side of Rey, she didn't notice the protective gesture, but the Mandalorians did.

Far from being offended, the leader, Chakraborty gave them a slight nod as if approving of their actions.

Obi-Wan didn't think they needed their approval.

"Obi-Wan?" Rey asked, looking at him with concern.

He must have been frowning or have missed something she said, so he pushed aside his complaints before he unintentionally hurt her feelings.

He was sure the Council would have quite enough to say about her choices on this mission.

"Let's see it then," he said, indicating her staff.

Her face lit up as she began explaining the mechanics of the staff, quite clearly, while Maas may have been the artist, Rey was the mind behind the design.

"So it has six beams that coalesces into one on each end?" he asked.

"Seven actually," she said tapping the long vents, "This metal is strong enough that the six vents along the side don't compromise the structure. Each vent is almost it's own blade, you can see it when you turn it, but from a distance and in practical use it still acts as a single blade. The seventh comes from the sent like a traditional lightsaber but it is shorter as its purpose is just to unite the other six beams. Theoretically, the ends are the highest concentration power, but we found that each crystal's energy being divided was more balanced, the seventh was needed to keep the beam from turning inward."

She said this and much more. There was something calming about listening to her talk about mechanics, he knew enough to follow along and ask questions but he couldn't have come up with half the things her mind did. Her explanation was enough to make him almost forget he was having supper with a group of Mandalorians.

Almost.

Finally he asked, "May I?"

She nodded, handing it to him and immediately he liked the grip of it. The man grip was patterned, but so smooth still that it felt almost soft. He spun the staff, it was better balanced than the practice ones he used or even her old staff. The grove patterning changed dramatically on the ends but it could still be used comfortably.

He centred his grip and found the internal switches, the switches were geared a bit so you had to have the concentration enough to turn them up right and then left, but it was a natural movement. One side lit and then the other.

It was like she said, a staff turned into a double sided lightsaber, the beams appear wider, both because of the Beskar core and the six blades coming out like a flame around a candle wick.

He spun it walking through a few of the Ataru basics, he felt the Mandalorians tense. He hid a smile, he would always prefer a single blade, but he was more skilled than Rey and had now worked long enough with a staff for the weapon to be familiar to him. The Mandalorians likely haven't seen the full potential of their gift. Rey often made up for her lack of skill with a saber to slow down. Which wasn't a bad thing all things considered, it would only be a problem if she came against another lightsaber wielding enemy, which was very unlikely.

He turned back to Rey, turning the staff off before handing it back to her, "It is excellent."

She beamed.

Qui-Gon who still had yet to say much said, "It is far more suited to you. Quinlan is going to hate it."

She laughed.

* * *

Qui-Gon was very uneasy with this whole affair, though he was pleased about Rey's new weapon, even if it would take a Mandalorian to fix it.

The reason he was so tense was rather simple, the last major conflict between the Mandalorians and the Jedi had been _his_ Master's doing, or at least a mission that Dooku had led.

A part of him was amused at the idea that while his Master had helped raise the tensions, one of his Padawans would lower them.

"So he's the senior Padawan," one of the Mandalorians, Briggs, he believed her name was, said. She had black hair, copper skin, and shrewd brown eyes. Qui-Gon could almost feel the pain flowing off her.

"Yes, Obi-Wan is going to be knighted soon," Rey said.

Qui-Gon supressed a smile as Obi-Wan flushed. Obi-Wan never changed, utterly self assured in his abilities, completely unable to take a compliment.

Rey was of the same cloth, though her surety she gave to him, Obi-Wan, and the Force. She was self reliant but unaware of how truly gifted she was.

"So why has he got that silly man braid then?" Briggs asked.

A small bag slapped into the back of her head, and the Mandalorian lurched forward on her seat.

Qui-Gon tensed, ready for weapons to be drawn.

Instead the Mandalorians laughed, and Briggs protested, "Using the Force is cheating!"

Rey grinned, "Alright."

And like a group of close friends plotting against one another in friendly banter, the one named Harris called to Briggs who turned her head.

Rey picked up fist sized stone and chucked it at her.

The stone landed squarely in the centre of her armour, meaning it likely did her no harm, but she still toppled backwards over the log she had been sitting on. She came up face angry, eyes mirth filled. Qui-Gon felt the shift in the Force around her as whatever nightmares Briggs carried with her loosened their hold as she shouted angrily, "Baby Jedi!"

Rey brushed her hands together, shaking off the dirt from the rock, "You said the space magic was cheating."

Harris roared with laughter as the others jested with Briggs who gave as good as she got.

Qui-Gon watched Rey closely even as she kept checking for Obi-Wan's reactions, trying to include him as much as she was able, Qui-Gon saw that in the Mandalorians she had found more friends.

Easier friends than at the Temple.

Rey was a likable person, and how she conducted herself, how she reasoned was all very Jedi, but that didn't mean her transition to Temple life had been seamless.

Aside from her unease of the Temple itself and her dislike of Coruscant, Qui-Gon had begun to notice more and more how out of place she felt around the other Padawans, Knights, and Masters.

Sometimes she was still too awe filled with the Masters to truly connect with them as individuals. But with the Knights and Padawans, their depth of knowledge was extremely different. Much of that wasn't her fault. For one, she couldn't change her past, and Qui-Gon seemed to be failing her in making up for all the things that initiates could recite on command. For another, many resented her.

That wasn't too say the Padawans or Knights were mean to her. They most likely did not understand that the coolness they treated her was born from resentment. Where they had all spent their lives training, studying, fighting, _earning_ their positions, Rey had shown up with no training whatsoever and was now becoming known as one of the most powerful Padawans in recent history. She hadn't been tested in the same ways, hadn't had to fight other initiates to impress a Master. He, Qui-Gon, the staple maverick, had found an adult in the outer rim, chosen her as a Padawan and the Council had bent over backwards to break the rules for her.

Rey probably had more friends on the Council than in the rest of the Order, which again, set her apart.

Qui-Gon had hoped that his training regiment would show the rest of the Order that she wasn't being given special privileges, she was working for her place. But from Obi-Wan's accounts and others, their training was only setting them more apart.

No one except Masters trying to develop their own lightsaber form trained like that.

Of course, Rey was hard working, and the reason for Qui-Gon's 'insane' training regiment was to try to make up for the two decades behind Rey was from everyone else. It didn't matter what the others thought, Rey's connection to the Force had always been instinctual, now she had a bond with the Force that Qui-Gon had only seen in Tahl.

He was incredibly proud of both his Padawans, and it saddened him that Rey's only true friends in the Order were Obi-Wan and possibly Master Dooku.

Not that Obi-Wan was a bad friend to have.

Qui-Gon watched him relax in increments and was soon conversing with the Mandalorians as easily as Rey.

In another life, Rey might have made a great Mandalorian herself.

He caught Chakraborty's gaze, and Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed at the self-satisfied smirk on the Mandalorian's face.

The bastard saw it too, how easily Rey fit in with this band of warriors.

But then Qui-Gon smirked at the other man, communicating silently that she was still coming home with him.

Chakraborty scowled, then a light lit his gaze, interrupting the conversation at hand to ask, "How are you three getting back to your precious Temple?"

"We were going to ask the Wookies to borrow one of their ships," Obi-Wan explained, "Ours got blown out of the sky by the Trandoshans when we arrived."

"We could give you a lift," Chakraborty said, "we normally return our Foundlings back to their homes."

Rey saluted him with a rude hand gesture.

Harris said something in Mandalorian and then to both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's combined horror, Rey conversed in the melodic language.

_Were_ they converting her?

But Qui-Gon let the fear go to the Force, their bonds were strong as they ever had been, and it would take more than a fancy saber-staff to part Rey from Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon thought about how much trouble he was going to be in for that staff, for not impressing on Rey that Jedi didn't teach people outside the Order how to make one. As Jedi also didn't surrender their weapons to anyone or let them be tempered with, the Council was going to be royally peeved. Yoda was going to lose his mind.

Qui-Gon smiled as he thought of the look on Mace's face if they showed up to the Temple escorted by a group of Mandalorians.

"We would be honoured to accept such a generous offer."

Chakraborty smiled back, "The honour is ours. We always take care of our Foundlings."

Qui-Gon's brow twitched at the implicated challenge of those words.

But he wasn't worried, Qui-Gon didn't need to compete for Rey's loyalties, she was his Padawan, and she would always choose the Jedi above anyone else. He knew that, Obi-Wan knew that, and these Mandalorians were going to know it too.

oOo

They let Rey pilot the ship.

Qui-Gon couldn't wait to recount this to Dooku and Rael. Rael especially, would laugh himself sick.

Rey hugged all the Mandalorians despite her protests and their insistence that she was their 'Baby Jedi, Foundling.'

The ramp opened and Qui-Gon was not disappointed by Mace's and Master Yoda waiting for them. Neither looked happy.

Chakraborty's parting words were, "Remember Rey, you will always have a place with us if you desire it."

She bowed to him, "The Jedi are my people, Mando, but I thank you. May the Force be with you."

He bowed in return, "May you find the Way, Foundling."

Qui-Gon watched the consternation form on Mace's face. He had been pissed about them arriving in a Mandalorian ship, now he was confused.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon bowed and Chakraborty saluted them.

Harris waved to the two Council members behind them.

Qui-Gon was careful to keep his face blank as the Vopaad Master looked as if he had just swallowed a bug.

They approached and Qui-Gon didn't slow, not about to be reprimanded on the docking platforms.

"What the in the lowest levels of the underworld were you thinking, Jinn?" Mace asked as he turned to match Qui-Gon's gate.

Qui-Gon felt Rey's dip in emotions as she read the tension between himself and the two Council members.

_Did I do something wrong?_ she asked both of them, and he didn't know if the question was directed at himself or Obi-Wan.

_Let Qui-Gon do the talking, Rey, he's purposely pissed off the Council worse than this before,_ Obi-Wan comforted.

Rey wasn't comforted at all, grabbing Obi-Wan's robe sleeve, _But why are they angry? Do we come back too soon? Are the Wookies alright?_

_Everything is fine, Padawan Palpatine,_ Qui-Gon reassured. W_e completed our mission, the Wookies are safe, and no matter what the Council thinks of our methods, I am proud of you._

_Our methods? Didn't Master Windu tell us to us-_

_Patience,_ Qui-Gon told her, _do not let your emotions get ahead of you. Be patient._

"Listening, he is not," Yoda grumbled.

Qui-Gon smiled at the grandmaster who floated on the other side of Mace, "Is the Council ready for our debriefing, I would rather not have to repeat the report."

He saw Mace flex his jaw, "What could have possibly possessed you to take a Mandalorian ship back to Coruscant?"

"Our ship, as you know, was blown up, and the Mandalorians were friendly."

"Friendly?" Mace repeated, "That's your defence? Because they were _friendly?"_

Rey frowned at him, and asked Obi-Wan, _What's his problem?_

Mace's gaze snapped to her, clearly having caught the thought, but didn't call her out on it. Rey's abysmal shields were something the Council had been taking turns trying to help her with. But so far, Rey's idea of shielding was pulling back from the Force, which at times seemed to cause her physical and mental harm. The best compromise they had found was her centring herself, it didn't shield her per se but it helped against psychometry visions and being overwhelmed by other powerful Force sensitives.

Mace was angry, but he was a Master Jedi, a Council member, he had more sense than to lash out at a Padawan who had meant no offence.

They didn't exchange another word on their way to the Council chamber.

Qui-Gon kept his awareness on Rey whose unease rose at every step.

What was it about the Temple that bothered her so?

"Did the Mandalorians try anything?" Plo Koon asked after Mace and Yoda took his place.

Master Dooku looked them over carefully, when he saw there was no harm to anyone he pulled on their old bond, _Causing trouble, I see. Well done, Qui-Gon._

Qui-Gon didn't acknowledge this other than to pull back on that old bond fondly as he explained to the Council their adventures, digging himself into a rather sizable pit.

Dooku had his hand to his lip as if in contemplation, Qui-Gon knew he was hiding a smile as Mace asked, "Padawan Palpatine, is Jinn correct in telling us that you trusted a group of unknown Mandalorians to help you on a Jedi mission?"

Rey had released Obi-Wan's sleeve, Qui-Gon was braced to shield her, feeling her hurt through the bond at having the Council upset with them.

But Rey, Qui-Gon had learned, was more used to dealing with hostility than kindness. If Mace expected his tone would cow her, he had another thing coming.

"Yes, and we helped several Wookie families and settlements. No Trandashon we crossed got away. We killed them as you suggested."

"And what cost, Padawan? Why would they help a Jedi, did you ever think of that?"

"They weren't helping me, at least not to begin with, we were both helping the Wookies, I spoke their language, the Mandalorians didn't."

"And why did you trust that, were they kind to you?"

She laughed, "No, I mean, yes, they were kind to me but that was after we learned to trust each other. Mandalorians are honourable."

"And how do you know that?"

Steel entered her tone then, "Because, Master Windu, I grew up on a planet governed by Hutts. I never had to fear a Mandalorian and I learned to fear everyone in the desert, especially the _kind_ faces. I don't know what the history is between the Jedi and the Mandalorians but they are as true to their code as we are to ours. The ones I travelled with spent weeks travelling through the forest to bring three children back to their families with no benefit to them other than their own honour not allowing them to abandon the defenceless. Had it just been me, I might not have been able to keep them safe."

The Council was quiet, and Qui-Gon looked at his Master whose eyes had saddened.

It was not in a Jedi's nature to hate.

If they were honest with themselves as his Master had been, the Jedi were as much at fault for the problems that lay between themselves and the Mandalorians.

Problems that Rey had skirted because as a scavenger and machinic her preconceived notions of the Mandalorians was vastly different than their own.

"Perhaps right you are," Yoda spoke to her, "perhaps the will of the Force it was. But remains a problem, there is. Gave to them a Jedi weapon you did, taught them how to make it, you did."

"Master Yoda," Rey said, "He already knew what he was doing. Maas mentioned that the Mandalorians still had the 'Darksaber'. My impression was it wasn't a lack of knowing how to forge them that has kept them from being built but their impracticality. I mean getting kyber isn't easy, and even if they could get ahold of it, the blades are too dangerous for non-Force sensitives to use, no matter how useful they are."

"Some would risk it," Depa remarked.

Rey shrugged, "So, how is that any more dangerous than having a laser gun or bombs? The Jedi don't monitor those and they could do far more damage than a lightsaber without a Force sensitive."

"The problem," Dooku spoke then, "for this body is that the Jedi do not have the monopoly of Force sensitives, Padawan. The Jedi's success in the galaxy comes in part from the secrecy of our teachings. Which I am sure Master Yoda will be reminding Qui-Gon of."

Qui-Gon crossed his arms but didn't comment.

Rey didn't not answer at once, but when she spoke it wasn't in defence of her actions but a challenge to the Order.

Qui-Gon was pleased, Obi-Wan was not.

"I mean can't that work against you too? Can't your secrecy foster mistrust and aggression? The Mandalorians think the Jedi Order is a cult and that the Force is magic."

"What would you have us do?" Adi-Ki Mundi asked, "Teach everyone our ways and put ourselves in danger?"

She shook her head, "I'm sorry, maybe I misspoke, but absolutes are bad, aren't they? Secrecy to the extreme could-" her voice cut off.

And Qui-Gon felt a swirl of mixed emotions rise from within her, and Obi-Wan put a hand on her shoulder.

Qui-Gon couldn't think of what she had thought of but Yoda didn't give her time.

"Careless, it was. Know or know not, think you should have before giving away your lightsaber. Broken the crystals they might have, hurt themselves also could they have. Now a beautiful weapon you have, but fix if broken only a Mandalorian can. Vulnerable you made yourself, dependent are you."

Qui-Gon felt the backlash of Rey's emotions. She thought very highly of their little green grandmaster, and those words from him hit her like a slap across the face.

But she didn't let it show, bowing her head she said, "I'm sorry, Grandmaster."

"Train with me, you shall."

"Yoda-" Qui-Gon warned, but Yoda forestalled him with a raised clawed hand.

"Not as a Padawan, but train with the initiates for two hours a day until your next mission, you will."

Qui-Gon would have liked to protest, but though he had never seen Rey interact with children, he had a feeling it would backfire on Yoda.

He could almost hear the Force laughing at this chain of the events.

Obi-Wan wasn't as pleased with this turn of events, and Qui-Gon knew he would have protested if Mace hadn't interrupted.

"Padawan Kenobi, the Council has decided that you are past due to take your trials. Once you are rested from this mission, prepare yourself. Your next mission will be your final trial."

Obi-Wan bowed, "Thank you, Masters." His posture was stiff, but his words were earnest. He didn't like Rey being in trouble, but he followed the rules so closely himself that taking a reprimand was nothing new.

Especially after years of being Qui-Gon's Padawan.

"Your mission was a success, your ventures with the Mandalorians notwithstanding, Kashyyyk is safer than it had been," Mace said, "You are dismissed."

They turned and left, as soon as they were out the door, Qui-Gon reached for Rey but she sidestepped him, "I'm going to go meditate."

"Rey, the Council can be-"

"Can I go?" she asked.

Qui-Gon wouldn't reprimand her after Yoda had stripped her down so thoroughly. "If Obi-Wan is with you, yes. You did well, Rey. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master Jinn," she said and bowed.

_Stay with her tonight,_ Qui-Gon ordered Obi-Wan who had to quicken his steps to keep up with her.

_Did he have to be so harsh for her first mission?_

_She will be okay, besides, it won't be the last time we find trouble._

_Isn't that the Force forsaken truth?_

Qui-Gon sighed, and glanced back to the closed Council doors, he would have liked to speak with his own Master. But he was certain the Council would be in session for quite some time tonight.

Patience, he told himself, patience. He retreated to his own quarters taking his Padawan's lead in finding time to meditate before finding sleep in his own bed. He had enjoyed the forests of Kashyyyk, but his bones were grateful for the mattress.

* * *

Obi-Wan had rarely seen Rey so upset.

Growing up in the Temple, everyone had been reprimanded by Yoda. In fact, the only compliments Yoda usually gave were cryptic or back handed.

Rey, however, had had a much softer view of their Grandmaster.

Her hair wet, she sat in the corner of their room until her hair was dry and Obi-Wan's eyes were burning from tiredness.

He was too tired to meditate effectively, the stress and the adventures of Kashyyyk catching up with him. His bed was calling him, but Rey was made of sterner stuff.

"Rey, we need sleep."

She opened her eyes and her expression was perfectly unreadable. She nodded and having already changed into sleepwear, she climbed into bed without another word.

He flicked off the lights and fell back on his own bed. "Goodnight, Rey."

"Night," came her muffled response.

As tired as he was, he found he couldn't sleep. Staring up at the darkened ceiling, watching the traffic lights flit through the blinds, he waited for her breathing to even.

But though she laid completely still, not so much as a ruffled sheet, she didn't sleep.

So he waited, and when he heard a hitch her breathing, and she turned in around her pillow, he grabbed his own.

"Obi-Wan what-"

"Scoot," he said, putting his pillow by hers as he slid in beside her. "You did really well."

"But everyon-"

"The Council is a bunch of stuck up, unbending, blind, numbskulls."

Her muffled tears cut off as she chastised, "Obi-Wan!" She turned to face him, rubbing away her tears as she glared at him.

He grinned at her, "I can go on, Qui-Gon has taught me quite the list of adjectives over the years."

"This isn't funny," she hissed.

He pulled on her braid, "Rey, Yoda chastises everyone. He raised most of us. He didn't mean to hurt you, and he certainly didn't mean you had failed. He would have told you if you had. Our mission was a success, the first of many."

"But he wasn't wrong, I didn't think-"

"No, you did think. Rey, that staff-saber is going to be impossibly useful. It's also a super stealth weapon. Most people know what a saber looks like, or they think they do. And not many people are going to care if you have what amounts to a pipe when they have blasters."

"But-"

"No buts, your teaming up with Mandalorians saved more people than the three of us alone could have helped."

"Why couldn't the Council see that?"

"Master Dooku saw it, and others probably did too. Mace and Yoda talk the most, but behind closed doors the others don't all agree. And I hate to break it to you, but as Qui-Gon's Padawan, you're going to get a lot of lectures from Yoda. I know I did even if I openly disagreed with our Master."

She was silent for a moment before asking in a quieter tone, "When you're knighted are we not going to be together as much? Are you going to move out?"

He hugged her, and she curled against his chest. "No, we'll still be together. I'm too young to take a Padawan of my own yet, and beside Qui-Gon's already said he wants my help. He got two Padawans, now you will have two Masters."

Some tension left her, and Obi-Wan was able to breathe easier.

"You'll always be Obi-Wan to me," she said into his chest.

He felt his exhaustion catch up with him again as he wrapped his arms around her more securely, "Sleep, Rey."

She let out a huff, but she fell asleep not long after, and Obi-Wan was finally able to let his eyes shut.

* * *

The day after they returned from her mission, Rey walked deeper into the Master halls a bit warily, not because she was scared of any of the Masters, but because the feeling that the walls themselves were watching her had her hairs standing on ends.

She hesitated at Master Dooku's door, she had been careful not to touch the walls, and didn't want to knock now. She thought for a moment of using her staff to knock on the door but knew that would be rude. So centring herself, and letting her fears go to the Force on an exhale of breath, she knocked.

"Come in, young Padawan," came Dooku's distinctive voice.

She entered, bowing her head, "Good evening, Master Dooku."

"Ah, Rey, a pleasure as always. What may I do for you, my dear?"

She hesitated for a moment, knowing that the question would seep the warmth from his eyes. She hadn't wanted to ask Obi-Wan because he had seemed so upset about the whole thing. She knew Master Jinn could just have easily answered her questions, and he had been far more amused than disparaging, but she had a sinking feeling that she had let them both down, in some small way betrayed them somehow. So she went to Master Dooku, who wouldn't shield her from the truth.

If she had failed in some way, then she trusted Master Dooku to tell her exactly _how_ she had failed.

Master Jinn's teachings were more useful at the moment, roll with the punches, adapt, move on, don't hold onto the past, but such words wouldn't help her learn how to keep from repeating those mistakes.

And Obi-Wan meant well, but his advice was usually based on a foundation of knowledge that she did not have and that he had yet to learn how to best share that foundational knowledge with her.

"I see this will be a long conversation," Dooku said, "Best to start with tea, the kettle is on the stove."

She couldn't help but smile at that, Master Dooku seemed to always be five steps ahead of everyone else. She went to the kitchen area which set back into the wall.

She touched the kettle and her sight blurred. She kept her breathing steady as Vos had taught her even as she started breathing through another person's lungs.

He was much taller than her, and his hand engulfed almost all of the handle as he filled it with water.

Flicking the stove on he prepared the tea leaves, the spices, and the tray.

He wasn't clumsy, far from it, his every movement efficient and calculated, but he was in a rush.

She almost didn't notice, because the man whose memory she saw didn't notice, it was one of the things Vos had drilled into during their month of suffering.

Even though she was seeing, living someone else's memory, that didn't mean she still wasn't herself, she still had her own thoughts even if she was immersed through the vision. She could observe things separately from her temporary host.

This man was in a rush because of a woman named Tahl who was waiting for him. And thanks to that distraction he didn't notice the spices he used weren't the sweet ones but the spicy ones. He even put the salt in instead of the sugar.

Once the water was ready he poured it into the pot that was his waiting disaster.

He was truly unfocused at the task at hand, so ready was he to be reunited with the woman that he didn't catch the scent that Rey recognized at once.

She liked spicy food. A lifetime of blandness, spices to her were a rich treat, but even she doubted she would like it in her tea.

The man put the tea down in front of Master Dooku, who looked at him with both amusement and exasperation.

The man whose body she shared bowed before turning to the door. He halted at Dooku's dry voice, "Sit down, Padawan Jinn, your friends can wait."

Qui-Gon obeyed, she felt his suppressed sigh as he waited for Dooku to reach for his cup. He wouldn't speak about anything of importance until he had finished at least one cup of tea.

But his Master didn't reach for his cup.

Qui-Gon suppressed a frown.

"Take a cup and drink the pot."

More confused, Qui-Gon looked across the table as his Master stood and went back to the kettle to make himself a new brew, "Master Dooku, I'm really not-"

"Qui-Gon, drink the tea and maybe next time you will think better of trying to poison me."

Qui-Gon took the poured cup of tea, confused right up until he inhaled the vapours.

He drank and nearly coughed it back up.

Qui-Gon had to put a sleeve to his running nose, spicy was not his preference.

He looked up at his Master whose lips were curled upward, his eyes dancing in wicked mirth.

Rey came back to herself, and nearly dropped the kettle in the sink as she laughed.

Master Dooku was at her side, careful not to touch her but he relaxed at her laughter. With a raised brow, he asked, "What did you see?"

She grinned, "Master Jinn 'poisoning' your tea?"

It took more effort than it was pretty to put the kettle on the burner.

Master Dooku caught her with a hand at her elbow and back when she almost lost her footing. He helped her to a chair, looking her over.

"I'm okay," she said before he could ask.

"Sit, I'll make the tea."

"Did you really make him drink the entire pot of tea?" She asked, slumping a bit. She didn't really understand why the psychometry drained her so greatly. She could run for ten hours and not feel so wobbly. Even sitting, she felt like the world was spinning.

She was grateful she hadn't had another seizure. Vos had induced three in a row on her once, the third time she had come out enough to try to strangle him as he mocked her.

She had been too weak to harm him, but the next time he had handed her an 'artefact' she had hit him over the head with it. The brief flash of slaughter she had received from the thing gave her a migraine, but Vos had spent the night in the medical wing, not her.

Dooku returned to the table set by the window framed by two plush chairs with a tray and a steeping pot of tea.

"It wasn't a large pot, four small servings. I'm not sure if his face was red afterwards from using a particular spice that may or may not have been designed for expelling 'evil spirits' from one's sinuses, or because he was embarressed had to meet with his friends afterwards with a running nose and a raspy throat."

She grinned, "If I brought this up with him?"

"I suppose if he blushes we will have our answer."

She grinned.

"While we wait for the tea, may I see your new weapon that had the Council in such an uproar."

She nodded, passing it over to him from where she had rested it on the chair. "Maas forged it but I helped with the mechanical design. The vents don't weaken the ends by much, I could slam it down on stone for days and it wouldn't damage, but turned on-"

Dooku had found the internal switch and the blue lights came to life. She watched him turn the staff so he could see the spacing between the beams. "This is quite the gift," he said, "one only a Force sensitive could use properly and yet one only a Mandalorian could forge. There is something poetic about that."

The blade shut off, no less elegant, and only a tad less dangerous.

He handed back to her, "A worthy weapon, and one more suited to you, I think."

She nodded, taking her staff back. It marked a new chapter in her life, this staff. She liked it for its difference, a lightsaber but a staff.

Like her, a Jedi but still all she had been before.

"I think so too. The weightlessness of a traditional saber is unnerving."

"I suppose it must be to someone was not raised with one," he mused as he poured the tea, "I would warn you that your saber staff could be used against you, but then the switches are on the inside and as your proved with the Temple Guards, you know how to get your staff back."

She grinned, "I only got to use it against the Trandoshans for a few seconds, but I almost kept up with Obi-Wan."

"Yes, Qui-Gon even remarked during your sparring match with the Temple Guard that a lightsaber might not be your weapon, seeing as you won with your opponent's weapon rather than using your own dual saber."

She shrugged, "I've had a lot of big people grab hold of my staff before, I was wagering he hadn't the same experience. I don't get the feeling many people try to manhandle a Jedi's weapon from them."

Master Dooku chuckled, "No, no they typically do not. Not even Mandalorians would be so bold." He sipped his tea, "Though I am always happy to share tea with you, young Padawan, might I ask if you had a particular reason for your visit?"

She reached for her cup, her hand shaking only slightly. The tea was, unsurprisingly, perfect. "I came to ask you about the history between the Jedi and the Mandalorians."

The humour drained from his face, "Ah yes, I suppose it should fall to me to explain to you our history with their people, as it was a mission with the Mandalorians that disillusioned me to the Jedi Order."

"What do you mean?"

"You know I left the Order, the battle of Galidraan was the catalyst to that because the Jedi, myself included, had been duped. The Mandalorians we killed, and killed us in return, were the people we should have been helping against the villains who called for our aid."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"To kill a Jedi is no small feet, Padawan, though it happens more often than any will admit because numbers, accidents, and our own foolishness will prove more often than not that we are in fact, all still mortal -the Force being with us or not.

"The Mandalorians are an incredibly skilled warrior people whose codes, I'm sure you discovered, are not so different from our own. Over the centuries, they have made weapons that even the Jedi have a hard time countering, such as flamethrowers. They are dangerous, though not inherently bad people. Our often turbulent history raises tensions on both sides."

"I noticed," she said, thinking of how dramatic both sides had been.

"Our recent history has made us all but enemies," he motioned to her staff, "but perhaps in time that too can change."

"Is there anything else I need to know about our history?"

"At that battle, a Mandalorian by the name of Jango Fett murdered five Jedi with his bare hands in his anger for the people we killed on his team. The True Mandalorians, they were called."

She was quiet at this wondering how someone could manage that.

Cold brutality was the likely answer. Obi-Wan's concern for her suddenly made a lot more sense.

"You're still not afraid of them are you?"

She shrugged, "I grew up knowing that a lot of people could kill me, a lot of _things_ could have killed me for that matter. I have never thought of the Jedi as invincible."

"Despite the power you have, Padawan?"

"Wouldn't do me a lot of good in my sleep, would it?"

He smiled, "Qui-Gon is the right Master for you, that much becomes clearer to me every day. Had it been Qui-Gon on that mission, he wouldn't have been fooled. He would have waited for all the information before attacking, no matter what the Council had ordered him there for. It appears I was able to teach him that lesson better than I was able to learn it myself."

"Master Dooku, why did you come back to the Order?" she asked, not wanting to ask of all the events that had led him to leave.

She didn't want to see his eyes darken further. She liked Master Dooku, with all his hard edges, but she didn't like seeing the pain and regret in his eyes as he spoke of the Mandalorians.

"My Master asked me back. I left because I believed the Jedi Order could not change, accepting one's faults is one thing, not trying to improve them is a different matter entirely. But when Master Yoda asked me to return without the Council's approval, after accepting you, a Padawan of nineteen years old, _and_ allowing me to keep my title as Count, I had hope for the first time in decades that change was possible."

"I think Master Jinn feels the same way too sometimes, like nothing he does is enough to change history from repeating itself. He hasn't said as much, not in so many words, but sometimes he seems… jaded."

"Yes, Qui-Gon is often the lone voice crying out in the wilderness. The Force calls to him too strongly to explain himself well enough to be understood by the Council."

She grinned, "From all accounts, your voice has been quite loud on the Council of late."

He sipped his tea, "Change is slow, but I believe the last two years has seen more change in our Order than in the last two centuries."

"Has anything major changed since you joined the Order as far as policies go?" she asked curiously.

"As Qui-Gon taught you the Jedi guidelines?" he asked with an amused tone.

"Not really," she said, "or at least he hasn't phrased it as such, Obi-Wan has though."

"Well, two of our Order will be allowed to legally marry in the order next month."

"Jedi aren't allowed to get married?" she asked, thinking of all Vos's crude jokes. "But I didn't think Jedi were- um- I didn't think celibacy was enforced."

"It isn't, but marriage, formal and legal acknowledgements of attachments are not permitted outside of extenuating circumstances. But a couple within the Order brought their case before us and argued that if I am allowed to keep my title as Count, why couldn't they have a public commitment ceremony? Of course, they will have to take oaths to put the Order first, but it is a good step. Healthy attachments, fewer secrets, less shame, it is a step that will avoid much suffering."

"Why was marriage ever a bad thing to begin with?" she asked.

"The Jedi have long believed that attachments will inevitably lead to loss or to the fear of loss, which can lead people to fall. But I hold attachments are inevitable, and forcing our people to hide their relationships is inviting resentment and fear."

"Will the Order change a lot with this marriage being allowed?"

"It is unlikely. The few of us who do find love on these crazy paths we take throughout our lives will lead many to still forgo marriage. Our line of work is often a larger commitment than most spouses would accept being second best to."

"Oh," she said, thinking that over. Growing up alone, the idea of finding a partner had never really occurred to her, and now? The Jedi Order was her life. "Has being a Count and a Council member been difficult?"

"No, it might have been when I first reclaimed my birthright, but my planet is stable, and now that it has officially been deemed Jedi territory, such as Ilum, we have not seen any outside trouble. Quite the contrary, our trade is higher than usual."

"How do your people feel about the change?"

"With the increase of trade and security? The feeling has been rather positive on the whole. However, my father would have been most displeased," he said the last with a curled lip.

"You didn't get along with your father?"

"My father threw me out to the elements for the Jedi to rescue when I was but a babe."

"What? Why?"

"Serreno was once ruled under a Sith empire many thousands of years ago, my ancestors reclaimed their home without Jedi help. Because the Jedi did not help them, they passed down a hatred of Jedi, and when I was born a Force sensitive, my father wanted nothing to do with me."

"I'm sorry, Master Dooku, that's awful. I'm glad the Jedi came for you."

"As I am glad, child, they found you. The Senator should have given you to the Order, I do not understand him."

She looked into her empty cup, "Master Jinn told you then." She didn't begrudge her Master telling his Master, but she felt queasy at having this man she so respected knowing she had been sold.

She didn't know why, she had told Obi-Wan, Master Jinn, and the Mandalorians, but _she_ had been the one to tell them she realized.

"Senator Palpatine had been requesting a meeting with you, from both Qui-Gon and then when he refused, from the Council."

She put down the cup with a click on the table before pressing back in her seat, "No, no. I don't want to meet with him."

Master Dooku's voice turned gentle, "We gave him a restraining order, legally now, he can only be in contact with you if you initiate it."

She closed her eyes, taking the confused tangled mass of her feelings and feeding them to the Force. She didn't open her eyes again until her pulse went down. Master Dooku had risen to make more tea.

When his back was turned to her, she said, "I don't want to be afraid of him, I don't want him to matter to me."

Seeming to sense her need for privacy in that moment, he answered without turning from the stove. "I have done much in my life to spite my father, not least of which giving my titles and wealth to the Jedi Council in my will."

"I don't want to be spiteful. I want the parents in my memories, who loved me, to have come back for me, to remember me, to have some half-way decent excuse for giving me to a slaver on a planet notable for being not notable."

It was the closest she had come to naming Jakku. But she couldn't pair Senator Palpatine's voice and looks, and just -he _had_ to be her father, which meant either he was from the future too or she was crazy or someone or something had seriously messed with her memories. The blood test had made things less clear for her.

Master Dooku came back with the steeping tea on its tray, "And when you met him, he-"

"He didn't remember!" she almost yelled it, "But he did recognize me, I saw it in his eyes. I was familiar to him. I looked up his family after our blood tests came back positive, I look like his mother and sisters, but I have my mother's eyes. He knew me, and he lied to my face. He wouldn't even tell us who my mother was, _is_. She could be alive too- but-"

"Breathe, Padawan, breathe."

She did as instructed as he poured the tea.

"It may always bother you," he said honestly, "my father's actions have long haunted me and I am now older than he was when he died. But we are more than our fathers, you and I, we are better people, and it is our prerogative to have our actions be better than theirs."

She picked up the tea, sipping it carefully, "I think I'm mad at myself for waiting. For thinking that my worth was dependent on them. When my life was measured in credits, I should have known, even as a child, that I was worth nothing to them. I think that's why I waited for them, denial of that truth."

"Rey, your life has no measure. When they chose to betray their own child was the day they became worthless. They could have given you to any millions of families who would have loved you, they should have given you to the Jedi Temple, but what they did was nothing short of evil. That was not, and will never be your fault."

She met his gaze, "But I loved them, and they are my parents. I don't want them to be evil. I want to believe they had their reasons and that they were _good_ reasons."

Dooku reached across the table to hold onto her hand, "It is okay to love them, wicked or good, known or unknown, but do not trust in dreams or half forgotten memories. Senator Palpatine is a dangerous man, and you have a family who loves you beyond anything he could offer you."

She held onto his hand, as she stated what she only this morning learned, "He's missing."

"Personally," he drawled, "I hope he is never found."

"I hope they find him, I hope he's safe."

"Because he's your father?"

She sighed and pulled back from him, "Because I want him to live long enough for me to grow strong enough to let him go. If he dies then I don't get to make that choice. I'm not strong enough yet, I still care, even if I know I shouldn't."

"You are a better person than I am," Master Dooku said, and made a face at his cup as if he wished it was something stronger, "I wish my father was alive so he could see what I had done to his precious legacy, so he could choke and die on his own prejudices."

Rey sipped her tea and fought back a smile. She loved her Jedi family, with all their personalities and faults, because they were hers and because they were _real._

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, ideas, or good tea, pretty please?


	16. The Assassin and his Apprentice

KEYnote: Am I taking liberties? Fuck yes. But I got a free pass to make an unknown character a badass, and a badass character more badass, the latter I am having be about the same age as Rey. Also, do note that his story started in late 32 BBY, chapter 15 was edging into 29 BBY. And fuck the EU and canon's grasp of dates.

* * *

Outer Rim. 30 BBY: a Year Before Rey's First Official Mission.

* * *

Chapter 16 - The Assassin and his Apprentice

He had not set out to be an assassin, especially not a well known assassin who had earned himself the title, The Mor, the one man army.

No, that had not been his goal, but in the spirit of his old Master, it had just sort of happened.

As a Jedi Shadow, his job was to remain invisible.

And while he had kept his identity as a Jedi hidden, he had been placed into one too many positions in the crime world of Nar Shaddaa where the only options had been violent and deadly.

Which oddly did not compromise his mission. Jedi Shadows were originally organized thousands of years ago to hunt down and destroy any Sith or Sith artefacts, and while there were some among them who still did this, a thousand of years of Sith not existing had changed their job criteria. Namely, they were spies and insurgents who worked in the Outer Rim, trusted to work independently from the Republic and not fall to the Dark Side.

Some Shadows got to explore the meanings of the universe, others acted to disrupt possible hostile empires that posed a threat to the peace of the Republic.

He was not fortunate enough to get such a station where his actions seemed to result in the betterment of intergalactic peace.

Because in his humble opinion, the only way to save Nar Shaddaa was to wipe it out completely.

Of course, his station wasn't without purpose, the intelligence he had gained over the years being in the wrong places at the right time, had indirectly prevented many horrors orchestrated by the Hutts and other scum to come into fruition. And he had helped his fellow Jedi on their missions if they were unfortunate enough to wind up here.

Feemor sighed to himself as he dodged someone throwing a bucket of some substance best not overanalyzed out their window.

When he had been a Padawan he had once begged Qui-Gon to take him to the underworld, just once, he had just wanted to see, to know what lurked beneath their feet.

That had always been Feemor's defining characteristic, his Force damned curiosity. A curiosity for everything, that had pushed him ahead of his initiate group in all subjects, that had earned him Qui-Gon's attention, though the Jedi Knight had scarcely been ten years his senior. Feemor's thirst for knowledge and success had earned him a knighthood at nineteen, younger than most.

Feemor had come to see his Master as more a brother than an elder, that was until Xanatos's fall to the Dark Side had destroyed Qui-Gon's understanding of self-worth, driving him to push away anyone who cared for him.

But that had been long ago, and he doubted his old Master, if he still considered himself such, would even recognise him.

Feemor had abandoned his brown robes for black, shrouded himself and his weapons under a black cloak and hood.

He wondered if anyone would recognise him, even the Council and his fellow Shadows would probably pass him by. He carried no lightsaber, his Shadow dual-bladed saber having been dissolved in acid within months of his landing on Nar Shaddaa.

The Mor carried two short swords and two blasters, and if one was very unlikely, they would discover his penchant for carrying and creating incendiary devices.

As a Shadow, the Force was his ally, as an assassin, no one could rival him. He stalked the streets of Nar Shaddaa like a herald of doom. Nar Shaddaa, so like his homeworld of Coruscant in many ways, but here the above world was as despicable as the underworld.

Did it bother the Mor that wherever he went fear greeted him? That the mere glimpse of his silhouette was enough to invoke dread in even the darkest of hearts?

No. Maybe it had once, but the Mor was a practical creature, and no matter how much blood stained his hands, the Light stayed with him.

Let Qui-Gon forget him, the Mor needed no one's approval to know that no matter how dark his deeds, he remained true to the Light, to the Jedi.

Or at least this what he told himself as he entered a glass elevator that would take him to a gilded gambling den.

He gazed at his reflection, his cold blue eyes seeing through the hardened expression.

Feemor couldn't fool himself. In his heart, Qui-Gon would always be his brother, no matter the years. That he had grown his blonde hair out long to mirror his Master's was no small reminder.

The elevator dinged, and the Mor stepped into the room.

The music skipped a beat, and every face turned to gawk at him.

Windu would have slashed his Shadow title if he had seen this, but the Council didn't watch them that closely. As long as they got the information to the Council, as long as they did their jobs, no one cared in practice what they did.

He stepped further into the room and the band resumed their song when he glared at them. Walking to the bar, his cloak swirling around his feet, he ordered something that might take the edge off his headache caused by the smoking spices in the room.

"Hey, Mor," a Twi'lek woman named Delilah came up to him.

He caught her wrist before she could touch him, he met her gaze.

He had shared a bed with her only once, thinking that the contact of another person would ease his longing for home that had been steadily growing in recent months.

He had been wrong.

It hadn't been money that passed between them, but she had slept with him only because she had been hoping for power, prestige.

Afterwards he had felt worse than used. "Leave," he said.

She laughed, pressing her body against him, but he squeezed down on her wrist until she gasped, her eyes widening in sensible fear. "Leave," he repeated.

He released her abruptly, and she fled.

The Mor turned his back on the room, the Force informing him of all the eyes that tracked his every motion. That would fade. The novelty of him entering a space. In fifteen minutes only a few would see him, in a half an hour, he would be seen only if he wanted to be seen.

The Force was at work around him, clouding their minds. Because he used the Light Side, their fear was what allowed them to notice him at all. But no one on Nar Shaddaa held onto their fear of any one person who wasn't hurting them that long. On Nar Shaddaa fear was as prevalent as air, you either learned to live with it or you went insane.

The informant he was waiting for showed up two hours late, not surprising. The Mor didn't really care, nowhere was home to him on this city wide moon. Waiting for information in this spice rack was no different than waiting for time to pass on his ship. At least hear he didn't have to mix his drinks himself.

His Palliduvan informant was higher than smog that blocked the sunlight.

"One Army Man," he greeted, his grey skin had a sickly blue colour.

A Jedi in the Republic might have tried to help this sad creature.

The Mor had seen too many overdoses to think anything he could do would help.

The Palliduvan staggered against the counter and the Mor knew he didn't have long, "What do you know?" he asked, his tone emotionless.

He felt so old.

"Overthrown, overthrown, doe-doe-mir, doe-doe-doe," his informant glittered, then said something in his native tongue that was too fast for the Mor to follow.

He took a deeper drink from his tumbler. He was ready to leave this assignment. He didn't envy the person that would take his spot but he was done.

Even if the Council had started taking a more hands on approach, the specific information they asked him was far more interesting to hunt than chasing blindly after conspiracies.

But as he listened to this poor fool babble, his life's presence wavering in the Force. The Mor was done with it all.

Maybe it was time he returned to the Temple and take on a Padawan of his own.

He pitied his would be Padawan, but he was sure there would be an initiate no one else would want, even if he had to wait around for a few years.

"Where were they spotted?" he asked, interrupting the Palliduvan.

"Rattatak, Rattatak, Rattatak-tak-tak, tak," the last word was slurred as the Palliduvan began to foam at the mouth.

Mor's heart clenched. He paid his tab, leaving his drink unfinished.

He left with the Palliduvan's last words still echoing in his head, _Rattatak-tak-tak, tak._

The informant was dead before the doors of the lift closed.

Mor closed his eyes. In the brief moments of privacy, Mor let himself grieve, grieve for every creature cursed to be born or brought to the moon.

Nar Shaddaa was living hell, and Mor had to leave it before the horrors he had seen, had _committed,_ caught up with him.

He was a high profile assassin, only taking hits on the worst of the worst. The type of targets that the Republic would have hidden away and silenced than admit such evil could exist under their democracy.

The Mor knew better, knew evil like this existed in every civilization, Nar Shaddaa was just a concentration of it, an inescapable shoulder to shoulder every day dealing.

The Force brushed his senses, and he sighed, surrendering his grief and resentment and sense that there was no purpose to anything. In return, the Force gave him a direction.

_Rattatak._

It was time for him to move on, if he stayed any longer he would become the very thing he fought against.

oOo

Back on his ship, Mor pulled back his hood, and called the Council.

Windu, Yoda, and Koon appeared in hologramatic images.

Usually, Mor didn't use holograms, not wanting to appear in any form before the council. Not cloaked in black wearing more weapons than an enthusiastic Mandalorian.

But he was about to ask to return home, and after two decades of Nar Shaddaa, he would leave the Order if they turned him down now.

Yoda seemed to know this before he could say a word, "Return home, you wish, Master Mor."

How Yoda had learned of his assassin title, he would never know, as far as he knew, there were no other Jedi informants on this moon.

But then, he couldn't monitor the entire city and twenty years was long enough that his guise was probably known throughout the Outer Rim.

"Yes, Master," he said, letting the tiredness show in his voice. He always played it bravely before them, but he was done.

"Return you may, return your Shadow's saber you must. Welcome you are to rejoin the other Masters or become a Temple Guardian."

He tried not to slump, "I would like to return with the other Masters, however, I'm afraid I cannot return my Shadow's saber."

"Why not?" Windu asked, "You can make another. I know one can grow attached to their weapon but the Shadow blades are too distinctive."

Mor bowed his head, "I'm afraid I cannot return what no longer exists."

"Ah, destroyed it was," Yoda remarked catching on.

"When?" Windu asked.

"Years ago."

"How many years ago?" the Vopaad Master asked.

Mor tried not to wince, taking on a tone Qui-Gon had perfected when speaking to the Council, nonchalant ignorance, he said, "What was the year that I left Coruscant again?"

"Shadow, are you telling us you haven't used a lightsaber in two decades?" Koon asked.

Mor shrugged, "The Force is my ally, I need no other weapon."

Aside from the fifty or so he currently had on his person.

"_Shadow_," Windu said warningly, "That weapon was-"

"An artefact, yes, as well as a clear sign of 'hey, look! I'm a Jedi!' Do you know what they do to known Jedi on Nar Shaddaa? What they do to known Force sensitives?"

"That's why we stationed you there. To keep such things from happening," Windu said smartly, "Not so you could play assassin of the generation."

Mor had to even his breath before he gave into the rage inspired by that taunt. The Dark Side seemed to be calling him stronger each and every day.

But he would not fall. He refused. He called on the Light and let it wash him clean of the excess emotions. His voice was toneless when he answered, "And have I not done all that you've asked of me?" He thought of several Padawans and a Knight or two he had saved when they were swept into the Black markets.

"Your methods are questionable."

"Don't take it personally, Shadow," Koon said, "Mace is simply upset because Dooku has been pulling his leg all afternoon."

"I am not upset because of Dooku."

"The Count of Serreno has returned to the Temple?" Mor asked.

"Sit on the Council he does," Yoda said.

Mor was surprised by this, wondering how Qui-Gon felt about it.

"Your methods notwithstanding, you are free to return Coruscant, Master Mor."

He bowed, but said, "I have one last mission. An informant told me of something happening on Rattatak."

"Rattatak," Yoda repeated, "Hmm… years ago Knight Ky Narec was suspected to have landed there, but no communication could reach him."

"Ky Narec?" Mor echoed, "Why do I know that name?"

"A creche-mate of Qui-Gon's he was."

He felt his eyes widen, remembering the man who had graduated to Knight two years after Qui-Gon had chosen him as a Padawan. "I remember him, he liked to feed the birds, didn't he?"

Force help him, one would think the life of an assassin would drive the nostalgia out of him.

"Yes," Windu said in a disgruntled tone, "he had failed on his mission and although, we did make contact with the remnants of his ship."

"Was there no rescue sent?" Mor asked.

"The ship's computers said all on board had perished."

"Odd," he said, "droid core ships are not standard Jedi models."

"No," Koon confirmed, "But Master Mana, his Master, feared that he had run from the Order because of his failed mission."

"I see," Mor said, knowing that the order didn't have a habit of going after those who left quietly. Many Jedi fell, but only Masters earned a bust in the library for being among 'the Fallen', as Count Dooku's had been.

"On Rattatak, may the Force be with you ," Yoda said.

"And with you, Masters," Mor said, bowing to the holograms.

Koon and Windu bowed as the holograms winked off.

Mor sighed, as he started the engines. Freedom from Nar Shaddaa at last. He could almost feel the Dark Side hooks loosen in his heart.

oOo

Mountains, what a beautiful sight.

Okay, Rattatak wasn't exactly beautiful, but there was ouster loveliness to the bare stones and the warmth of the sun.

The Mor didn't have long to enjoy it as he pulled his hood over his head and descended into the underground, following a man who had looked at him with greed glimmering in his eyes, too stupid to be afraid.

He felt the death in the stones as they walked into a viewing station outlooking a cavern with peoples of various origins fighting to the death.

And among the gore and the screams were two lightsabers wielded by a slim figure.

Green and blue.

A female Dathomirian Zabrak he determined, his mind racing through the missing persons list the Jedi Order had.

She fit none of those descriptions, and she most certainly was not Ky Narec. Mor wouldn't have recognized his saber even if he held it, but he knew Ky's saber had been blue.

He watched her fight, not jumping into the rescue because she didn't need it.

Her style might have been Niman, or at least inspired. Her style was less a form and more a graceful hacking of any opponent fool enough to charge her.

Talented, extremely talented. But he felt the pain and the fury flowing off her in waves.

Glancing around to make sure there were no species known for Force sensitivity, he risked lowering his shields to reach out to her.

He flinched at the Darkness that he encountered, but pressed on.

_Padawan?_ He questioned as she rested a moment as she waited for her next foe.

The Mor felt her startle, she looked up into the stands and caught his gaze immediately.

She bared her teeth at him, then ran at the largest creature in the stadium.

Her fury increased, and Mor felt her desperation, it took him a few minutes to realize she was trying to impress him.

"A Jedi," a yellow Weequay said from beside him, "Quite valuable."

The Mor didn't respond at once, acting as he had not heard the retch.

The Weequay swayed from side to side.

Mor didn't so much as flick a glance in his direction.

"She took over the planet once," he blurted, "This Jedi, angry she was, spent years killing all the Warlords, but new ones rose in their place and no one here owed her anything. She's a savage little beast. A fit pupil for an assassin."

When he answered his voice was deliberately bored, hardly deigning to be interested. "She is no Jedi." He had learned to lie well over the years, "I do not see an apprentice. I see a rabid animal. She is worth nothing, if I will be forced to kill her the day I buy her."

Not that he didn't have money.

Killing people for a living was absurdly lucrative.

"She will be loyal to the person who-"

"Holds her leash?" Mor finished for him, watching the woman's rage spike as someone stepped on the edge of her skirt.

The offender was dead in a moment.

He was thinking hard. He couldn't bring a Dark Sider to the Temple, an unknown Padawan this immersed in the Dark could be imprisoned on principle.

He supposed he could take her to Dathomir. The Nightsisters were known for using the Dark Side. He would have to take away her lightsabers though.

He sighed internally, as he felt the Force call him to her.

He had told himself he wanted to take on a Padawan, hadn't he?

"You doubt your capabilities, I thought they called you the One Man Army?" the Weequay mocked him.

The Mor had his blaster pointed and shot before the creature could say another word.

Qui-Gon would have been horrified.

But Qui-Gon didn't know as many slavers as Mor did, they truly were not worth the air they breathed.

Another Weequay came up simpering, and picked up bargaining where his dead coworker had left off.

They didn't even attempt to move the body as he tried to negotiate the price.

The Mor listed a sum, the Weequay tried to argue, but when Mor said nothing else the price was accepted without bargaining.

Why did buying someone's freedom make him more queasy than stepping over the body he had made dead?

Because life shouldn't be measured in coin. Death was just natural.

"Bring her to my ship," he commanded, not looking back or waiting for confirmation.

His manners were going to have to change when he did finally return to the Coruscant.

* * *

Asajj Ventress screamed when she saw the retreating back of the Force sensitive she had felt brush her mind.

_Padawan. Padawan, he had called me Padawan!_

And he had left as quickly as he had arrived.

She didn't know who he was, didn't know if he was Light or Dark but she wanted out of the Cauldron. She wanted to complete her training, she wanted more power. That dark cloaked man had been power, he could give her the keys, the strength to bow to no one ever again.

She slaughtered the rest of the bodies in the arena. She stood in the centre of the domed killing pit, ready for the darts.

Less ready for the electric fence that came down on her when she leaped out of the way of the sleep darts.

She screamed, having enough sense to turn off her sabers before she fell on them. She felt the familiar prick of a dart nipped at her shoulder.

Her world blackened, and she knew she would be no better off when she woke than she was now.

* * *

Mor contacted Master Dooku as soon as he returned to his ship, his Master's Master called him back, his hologram image appeared, looking nothing like a Jedi in his cloak and fancy footwear.

Not that Mor could throw stones about attire. He probably looked like a stereotypical Sith Lord.

"Master Feemor, what an unexpected pleasure."

"Master Dooku, welcome back to the fold."

"Ah yes, I'm sure the Shadows are rather invested in such matters."

"Yoda was worried for you."

"He should not have been," Dooku said drily, "Was there a reason you called me in particular."

"Serreno is close enough to where I am. I was hoping to see some scenery before returning to the Temple. I was wondering if you might know the current leadership there?"

"I do, and your request is approved. Would you like me to arrange a place for you to stay?"

_That was easy_, Mor thought, immediately suspicious, "I take your influence on the system is still substantial?"

"As I am still the Count of Serreno, I would certainly hope so."

Mor blinked, "I thought you were elected as a Council Member."

"I am both. Master Yoda bent the rules."

"Yoda never bends the rules."

"The times change."

"Hardly."

"I assure you, I was surprised as you are," the man drawled, "Now would you like me to have a room prepared? My sister would welcome you at my palace."

This was surreal, but Mor didn't lose focus as he felt the fallen Padawan's Force signature approach his ship. "No, I thought I might land my ship in the wilderness. I've had my fill of people."

"Nar Shaddaa is a hard station, I can understand not rushing to return to Coruscant. I will send you coordinates that should be free of citizens. May you find solace in the Force, Shadow."

Mor was about to say goodbye but asked on impulse, "Do not tell Qui-Gon I plan to return."

"I will not share that we have spoken."

"Thank you, Master Dooku, may the Force be with you," he said, signing off as a knock came on his ship's hatch.

She had burns across her face, as if she had met with an electric net.

The Dark Side opened its arms to him.

He ignored it.

"What is your name?" he asked, her speaking over the Weequay.

She sneered at him, "Asajj Ventress. Who are you, Master?"

He tilted his head, had she realized he was a Jedi, there was too much sincerity in the last word.

One of the Weequay jerked on her restraints, "Bow to him, he is the Mor."

Her eyes widened as she looked him over.

He was pleased when she did not bow.

"Her sabers," he ordered, hand held out.

The two sabers were placed in his hand. It had been a long time. He ignited one, the blue blade coming to life. A familiar friend.

"Careful-" the Weequay warned.

It was the last word any of them heard as the Mor cut them down, the lightsaber feeling like deadly wind in his hand.

Asajj Ventress stood motionless, her captors forming a singed circle around her.

"I am Master Mor, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Padawan Ventress."

She blinked pale eyes at him, "How did you know who I am?"

"You fight like a Jedi. I am a Shadow, I heard there was a Jedi in need of assistance, I came."

"You did not come for my Master."

His suspicions were confirmed, "Knight Ky Narec was not considered missing as he left the Jedi Order."

"Liar!"

Mor called the key to her cuffs to his hand, tossing it to her, she had her cuffs off in a matter of seconds.

She marched up to him, pointing an angry long finger at him, "My Master was a good man!"

"I knew him, I don't disagree. He and my Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, were raised in the same year."

"Qui-Gon?" she asked, her anger faltering, but she didn't back down from him.

She was wary of him, but not afraid. Mor smiled to himself, perhaps this would work.

"He was Master Dooku's apprentice, wasn't he? My Master spoke of him."

"He was, yes."

She glared at him, "The Jedi abandoned Master Ky Narec."

"_Knight_ Narec left the Order, as he was free to do. We don't make our people stay."

"He was stranded here!"

"Was he?" Mor asked without sympathy, "This planet has technology enough. How many years did he train you? How many opportunities did he have to call for help?"

He felt her anger swell and she hissed at him, "The Jedi did not come."

He brushed that aside, until she calmed down, she wouldn't hear anything he said on the subject. "How long did he train you, Padawan Ventress?"

He watched her stiffen, she responded to the command even as the Dark sang sweet seductions in her ear, "I- he found me when I was five years old. He raised me until I was fifteen."

"And is this what he raised you to be?"

She looked at him, confusion and vulnerability, shining in her eyes.

He regretted how harsh he was about to be, but if there was any hope for her, he couldn't allow her to slip further into the Darkness than she already had. "A half crazed Dark Sider with no purpose other than destruction."

Perhaps it was the wrong thing to say.

She roared, flying at him, hands clawed.

He punched her.

She dropped to the ground, and she didn't get back up.

"Sith-spit," he cursed, that hadn't gone well.

He thought he felt the Force laugh at him.

Sighing, he hooked her sabers to his belt. Carefully, he bent down to carry her onto his ship.

He hadn't punched her that hard, he thought. But she must have been exhausted after her time in the Cauldron, and Force only knew what she had been eating or if she had been well hydrated.

Zabraks, he knew, could take a lot of damage, but everyone had their limits.

He sighed again, tucking the fallen Padawan in a sleeper. He put some ointment on her face and scalp.

He closed his eyes, asking the Force for guidance.

Mor went to the cockpit, finding the coordinates Master Dooku had given him, he set course for Serreno.

If Asajj Ventress was meant to be his Padawan, then they would find their way.

* * *

Asajj woke on the Mor's ship.

She lay still for a long moment before sitting up, ready for a fight.

Her head swam and she ripped off the covers, gazing around her, the Dark sang for her rage, but she quieted her mind, feeling for anyone on the ship.

She felt nothing.

Touching a hand to her cheek, she found ointment on her electric burns that the Weequay had given her.

The Weequay Master Mor had cut down with the speed of a diving sparrow.

She had given herself to the Dark Side for power, but Master Mor was more deadly than she had ever been.

He was _the_ Mor.

But she had felt him like a Light, how could he kill so easily and remain a Jedi?

Of course, Master Ky would never have punched her out, so maybe there were different kinds of Jedi.

He had called himself a Shadow, she didn't know what that meant but there was a certain implication there.

Did she believe what he had said about Ky?

Could Ky have called for help? She had always believed he had, but if he hadn't…

She pushed it aside, taking inventory of the ship. There was a tray of food and four glasses of water beside the sleeper.

Asajj drank two glasses of water before digging into the food. He could have killed her a dozen times over, so she trusted the food wasn't poisoned.

And it was so much better than the slop she had been eating the last two years.

When she finished, she drank the last two glasses of water before exploring the ship. She found a refresher, and was glad to see in the mirror that the burns were mostly healed, if still tender. She frowned at her bare skin.

She was Dathomirian, she should have been tattooed by now, but then she had been too lost in her bloodlust since Ky's death to really think about that.

The Mor wasn't on the ship.

She could have stolen the ship, she could have gone anywhere. She could have gone to Dathomir and found people like her.

She almost did, but she thought of the Mor, how centred he had been, and she wanted to be like him.

She wanted to be feared, like him.

The planet they were on was surreal, the climate was temperate, the sky impossibly blue, the ground impossibly green.

She found Master Mor cross legged on a rock, his hood down, his blonde hair a golden contrast to his black robes.

"I could have stolen your ship," she informed him.

"You are welcome to it, Padawan."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

He opened his eyes, as blue as her own, "Because it is what I wish you to be."

Asajj was floored, "You want to take me on as your Padawan?"

"Yes," he said serenely.

She narrowed her gaze on him, "Then why did you punch me?"

He winced, "That was not how I had planned on that meeting going. In the future, don't go for my eyes, I'm rather fond of them."

"I don't understand you."

"That is not surprising."

"You called me a half crazed Dark Sider, why would you want to take me as your Padawan?" She regretted the words as soon as she said them, she wanted him to train her. She was not helping her case.

"Because you are currently both, a Dark Sider, and a Padawan who is far from completing their journey to become a Jedi Knight. I would like to teach how to be the latter, but it is your choice. You can take my ship if you like, or I can take you wherever in the galaxy you would like to go if you do not know how to pilot a ship. I'm sure the Nightsisters would welcome home a strong Force sensitive such as yourself."

"That's the second time you've offered me your ship? Why would you give it away?"

"It's just a ship," the Mor stated, before standing.

"Hey!" she shouted, "Where are you going?"

He didn't answer, walking toward a mountain range.

She followed, a half an hour later she asked, "Where are we going?" Having to dodge a branch that hung low over the path he led her.

"Patience, Padawan, patience. Let your frustration go to the Force. Breathe, listen to the bird songs around us."

"I don't care about the damned birds," she growled.

"You should, the birds are as much a part of the Force as you and I."

His words tugged on a memory, Ky had been fond of birds.

Her hearts hurt.

"Let the pain go," Master Mor said, "Death is natural, your Master is with the Force now."

She hissed, twisting the pain to power, "His death gave me power."

"His death left you alone, he failed you. If not for himself, he should have called the Order so you could have been a part of us. The Jedi do not abandon their own."

"You are naive," she told his back, "Everyone will betray you in the end. Ky was the only one who didn't and he was stolen from me! It was the Jedi's fault!"

The Mor did not turn to face her as he climbed ever upward, "Who's fault does it matter? Time is made up of millions of choices, and made of millions more people who make those choices whom you will likely never know. Fault does not matter. Ky is dead, there is nothing in this world that can bring him back."

"I hate you!" she snarled, again regretting the words.

The Mor did not acknowledge her exclamation.

She waited for him to reprimand her as Ky always had when she lost her temper, and she was left waiting.

The Mor left her to her own thoughts. They climbed for three hours.

They reached the peak of a shorter mountain, the peaks of others rose around them.

The Mor finally turned and pointed behind her.

She turned, and her breath caught.

Clouds painted by sunlight rolled over the uncultivated landscape. Fields, sparkling lakes, lush trees, all saturated in more colour than she had ever seen before.

She did not know how long she stared, but finally, the Mor spoke, "I would like you to be my Padawan, Asajj Ventress. But if you accept my offer, I'll expect you to follow a path of Light."

Asajj forgot about the pretty landscape and turned on him, "I want power, I want people to fear me as they fear you. That cannot be found in the Light."

He stood directly in front of her. She did not back down. "I do not like that people fear me, Asajj. But I became what I had to in order to accomplish my missions as a Jedi Shadow. However, though I hear its beckons, I have never fallen to the Darkness."

"But you kill people! You've killed hundreds, if not thousands! You are _the Mor!"_

Mirth filled his blue, blue eyes as he said, "Killing people is easy, Padawan Ventress. You don't need the Dark Side to destroy. Nor will destruction bring you happiness. Keeping life alive is harder and much more worthy of your pursuits, young one. I see it in you, the Light, your hate is strong because you cared, because you knew compassion."

"You know nothing!" she snarled at him, "You don't know me!"

"I know that falling is easy," he said, raising his hand out to her.

The Force shoved her back, and for a moment, the world was suspended in that weightless moment as she realized he had thrown her off the cliff.

She didn't have time to feel that betrayal, only to register the mourning in his eyes.

As if the Mor might cry at her passing.

She didn't scream as she fell to her death.

But it was not the impact of stones that welcomed her, but a mountain stream fed lake. It was so cold she almost let herself drown at the shock of it.

Coming to her senses, she fought the water and her skirts to swim to the surface. She crawled onto the shore, falling every time she tried to stand as her heavy skirts had lengthened, drenched as they were.

The Mor stood at the water's edge, his hood pulled back, his golden hair seemed to glow in the sunlight.

She looked back at the cliff she had been pushed from, then back at the dry wizard. How in the name of all the stars, did he get down here so fast?

"Falling is easy," he said again. "Swimming in layered skirts," he grinned, the bastard had dimples, "not so easy."

Asajj had never been more confused by a singular person in her entire existence.

He offered a hand up to her, "I do not offer you an easy road, Asajj Ventress, but I offer you a future fuller than the one you have imagined, Padawan mine."

She took his hand, and the Force passed between them like a warm breeze, a sparrow's warbling song rang through the clearing.

* * *

One Year Later. 29 BBY. Current Timeline. Coruscant.

* * *

Bringing Ventress back from the Dark had not been easy. She had a volatile personality and her instincts seemed to drive her to rely on her emotions.

But the Mor was well used to weathering volatile personalities, and though he couldn't kill his Padawan when she got out of hand, he found that despite his lack of practice with a lightsaber he was skilled enough to plough her down in a spar.

He was equal parts frustrated that Ky Narec had not brought her to the Temple and grateful that he now had the opportunity to teach Asajj. As angry and hurt as she was, underneath it all was a compassionate lost child.

They were a good match, and while walking her back to the Light, he found himself again.

He would always be the Mor, but in the rolling fields and mountains of Serreno, he found his equilibrium again. He no longer felt that life was an unending series of unfortunate events.

The first day Asajj had laughed had been when she found him awakened from a 'meditation' in a bush he had somehow fallen into, it had also been the day he found his hope again.

He almost lost her, the day he brought her to Dathomir, believing she needed to confront her past. Her birth mother had welcomed her home with open arms and an open heart.

His Padawan, seeing that she had not been willingly sold had dropped to her knees before her mother. Some long held grief and anger leaving her.

Mother Talzin, the leader of the Nightsisters, had touched Asajj's bare head.

"Come home to us, sister."

But Asajj had looked back to him, and though it would have broken his heart, he said, "Follow your heart, Padawan, the Force will be with you, wherever you choose."

Asajj had stood, bowing her head to Mother Talzin, "I am a Jedi, Mother."

Mother Talzin kissed her brow, "Then you will leave with our blessing." She had touched Asajj's cheek then, "You are a grown female, if you allow it, I would like you marked as one of ours. For you can be a Jedi and remain a Dathomirian."

So now, with black tattoos accentuating her face, patterning around her ears, and lines swirling around her arms, Padawan Asajj Ventress had finally been brought home to the Jedi Temple.

Coruscant was a cleaner vision of Nar Shaddaa, at least on the surface.

Mor found himself missing the peace of Serreno as he landed their ship.

Asajj was wide eyed as they landed. "It's so big," she murmured.

He said nothing, he wasn't sure if he was happy to be back or scared to face the memories he knew waited for him.

Windu waited for them, his eyes looking them over with a scowl.

Dressed in black as they were, they definitely looked like Sith Lords.

The Mor smirked at Windu, who scowled harder.

"Welcome home, Shadow Mor," he said, before eyeing Asajj who met his scowl with a smirk of her own.

Through their training bond, he could feel that she was nervous, but Asajj Ventress had a swagger that could make her an empress even if she was wearing nothing but chains.

"This is my apprentice, Padawan Asajj Ventress."

Windu sighed, "I should reprimand you for not informing us you had taken an apprentice."

"Are you?" Mor asked, surprised that this was even a question.

"No, because currently among Qui-Gon's prodigies, you're the one I trust the most."

Mor blinked, did Mace Kriffing Windu just pass up a chance to lecture him?

"I was under the impression that Kenobi played it by the book," Mor said, still having his informants over the years, "Hasn't Yoda been delighting in how much the boy takes the Council's side over Qui-Gon's?"

"No, it's not Kenobi, it's the other one that is causing mayhem at every turn," Windu said with a sigh. He turned back to Asajj, "Welcome home, Padawan Ventress."

Asajj bowed her head, in wordless acknowledgement.

"Qui-Gon has a fourth apprentice?" he asked.

"Would you like to rest or would you like to meet her?" Windu asked.

He looked to Asajj, who shrugged, "I am not tired."

"Lead the way," Mor said, swallowing the spurt of panic at the idea of meeting Qui-Gon again.

He didn't really have much interest in Qui-Gon's apprentices no matter how much trouble they were causing.

The moment he walked into the Temple, however, he began to worry for a completely different reason.

The Temple didn't feel like it had two decades ago, or maybe he had changed, or -something was wrong. His every instinct honed as a Shadow was set off. He had been warned of course, that Shadows could become paranoid, thinking everything and everyone had a shard of the Dark Side, which in Mor's assermation, everything absolutely did. But the Temple…

"Master?" Asajj asked, reaching out to him, "What is it?"

He shook his head, "Nothing."

Nothing pressing anyway. He didn't feel as if he was about to be attacked, at least.

"This is a palace," Asajj stated as they descended toward the training wings.

Windu didn't look back at her, "It is functional."

Mor hid a smirk, remembering how Qui-Gon complained about the decadence of the Temple.

Mor didn't think he was wrong though, and after living on Nar Shaddaa and then Serreno, that the Temple felt more like the former seemed an ill omen.

"Why are we headed toward the initiate wing?" he asked as they turned left, Asajj his pale shadow.

"Because Padawan Palpatine is serving out her punishment with Master Yoda with the initiates."

Mor winced, "What did she do to deserve that? And did you say Palpatine, as in a relation to the Senator of Naboo Palpatine?"

"Yes, she is his daughter."

Interesting, the Mor mused, his name had come up in several of his computers and droids left behind on Nar Shaddaa. Naboo was close enough to the outer rim that a few of his 'clients' rubbed shoulders with its politicians. His disappearance had made ripples. Enough ripples too make Mor suspicious of such a figure.

They went up to a viewing section where he found Qui-Gon, Dooku, and Kenobi with their backs to them.

Qui-Gon turned first.

And it was a punch to the gut to see his old Master greet him with a warm smile, "Feemor, I'm so glad to see you."

He was at a loss for words.

Kenobi turned with a curious expression on his face, and Mor wondered at his long Padawan's braid. Hadn't he graduated yet?

"Welcome," Dooku greeted, "Master Mor."

"Mor?" Qui-Gon asked.

He finally found his voice, "It is my preference these days, Qui-Gon, let me introduce you to my apprentice, Padawan Asajj Ventress. Asajj, this Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. And Master Dooku, Count of Serenno and Jedi Council member," he couldn't keep the irony out of his voice on the last part.

They all bowed.

The Force danced between them all in overly active presence. He knew Yoda was below them in the training room, Mor could feel the grandmaster like a star in the Force. Mor tightened his shields, he shouldn't have been this aware everyone, it was almost distracting.

He really was surprised that no one was questioning Asajj, he had even warned her that she might be treated as an outsider.

"How have you been, my old apprentice?" Qui-Gon asked, then added with a smirk, "I like what you have done with your hair."

Dooku rolled his eyes, "You are a terrible influence, Qui-Gon."

Mor was taken aback, had Qui-Gon just acknowledged him formally? "I'm well, the last year on Serreno has done wonders for my disposition."

It was Asajj's turn to roll her eyes, as she walked forward to stare down at the initiates. Mor joined her as he asked, "So Kenobi, may I ask why you have yet to be knighted if Qui-Gon has taken yet another poor soul as a Padawan?"

Mor's gaze lit on the girl running with a pack of seven year and eight year olds behind.

She was lean muscle, better shape than even Asajj, he had only seen the most elite dancers with a form like hers. And she was as old as Asajj too, too old to be a new Padawan.

Kenobi answered as he began to piece things together, "Rey is a bit of special case."

"You're all 'special' cases," Windu remarked, leaning against the balcony, "Qui-Gon all your Padawans have been touched in the head."

"Hey," Kenobi remarked, "I am not crazy."

Windu gave him a look before returning his gaze to the Padawan cheerfully egging on the initiates like a squadron coach. "You keep up with her on a daily basis, Padawan Kenobi, you are not normal."

Kenobi shrugged it off, "I'm taking my trials soon, I was just delayed because Rey was inducted at nineteen."

"Nineteen?" he repeated, looking to Qui-Gon, why hadn't anyone told him about this?

"Surely someone told you," Windu remarked, echoing his thoughts.

"No, it must have slipped your minds," he said drily, frowning down at the girl. The Force flexed around her. He opened his shields again, and let out a small gasp.

He hadn't been sensing Yoda at all, he realized. It was the girl.

"Doesn't she have any shields?" he asked before thinking.

"She's a slow learner when it comes to some things," Qui-Gon said, smiling as she caught an initiate before he fell down one of the obstacles.

"In others she is less slow," Dooku remarked. "Like creating lightning without calling Dark Side of the Force."

Mor raised a brow.

"She blew a hole through one of the Temple's walls," Windu supplied.

Mor raised both brows.

Asajj asked, "Jedi can make Force lightning?"

Kenobi smiled at her, "Rey can make actual lightning."

"What do you mean 'actual' lightning?" Mor asked.

"I mean she makes the actual lightning and thunder," Kenobi said, "And she can explain it to you, and it will make perfect sense, and yet none of us has figured out how to duplicate it."

The pack of initiates completed another lap around the obstacle course. Padawan Rey Palpatine looked as if she was leading a small extremely hyper army into battle, as they let out battle cries, working together an almost terrifying unit to get through the course.

It had been a very, very long time since he had been an initiate, but he had some fond memories of that obstacle course, and Yoda grumping at them all to take it seriously.

This group looked like they were having a wee bit too much fun.

"Not to state the obvious, but if your Padawan is being punished for something, it doesn't look like she's having a hard time."

Qui-Gon smiled, "I told Yoda this would backfire on him."

Mor watched the girl closely, and he had to agree. She looked like she was having fun, and as she ran circles around the initiates, almost herding them through and across each obstacle, he remarked, "Has she even broken a sweat?"

"Nope," Kenobi said, "she's been scouting on Kashyyyk for the last few months and practices Ataru flips in her freetime. This isn't a tenth of what we usually do in the mornings."

"You want to join her?" Qui-Gon asked his senior Padawan.

Kenobi stuck his tongue out at him, "I was an initiate, I have no desire to be down there."

"What did she do to end up training with initiates?" Mor asked, thinking the punishment almost sadistic, if the girl didn't seem to be enjoying it so very much.

Yoda was in the centre of it all, looking like an island of calm in a turbulent sea.

"She befriended a group of Mandalorians and let them reconstruct her lightsaber with Beskar," Qui-Gon said stoically.

Mor stared at him, waiting for the punch line.

Windu said, "Don't sound so smug about it. She could have been in real danger."

"Rey's first trip to Ilum ended in her getting attacked by thousands of years worth of ancient Sith ghosts and you want me to be concerned with her lowering tensions with a previously hostile group of warriors?" Qui-Gon retorted.

Mor was floored by this, "Excuse me? What did you just say? Are you telling me that your Padawan was the one to fundamentally change the balance between Light and Dark in the Force?"

Qui-Gon looked at him, "You felt it in the Outer Rim then?"

Mor was aghast, looking down at the Padawan with new eyes. She shone for all to see, and the Sith ghosts had gone to her? Why? What secrets did she carry to have that type of connection.

Dooku remarked, "Oh, look, they are starting to tire."

And by 'they' the Count meant the initiate's because the Padawan was almost skipping back and forth between the two groups of children racing forward and dragging behind. She left no one behind, cheering them all on equally.

Everyone of those little younglings was going to hero worship her for the rest of their days. No one played with the initiates, not like that.

"She's crazier than you are," Asajj remarked.

Mor sighed.

Qui-Gon grinned at him and Mor couldn't help but smile back. It had been a long time, but their shared history meant something.

Windu sighed, "Dooku, I blame you for it all. And no, Rael is not better."

Dooku smiled, a wicked glint in his eyes, "I gladly take such a charge."

The initiates did one more lap. Rey jogged in place behind the last youngling attempting to jump through loops on the ground. The others were cheering him on in exuberant voices.

When the last finished, the group cheered, then collapsed dramatically at Yoda's feet. The class was rendered perfectly quiet as they relearned how to breathe.

Rey was the only one standing, smiling down at the little ones like a fond teacher. She bowed to Yoda who stared up at her and wordless confusion.

Mor fought not to laugh, feeling the grandmaster's confusion in the Force. When he continued to say nothing, she took it as a dismissal. She jogged over and leaped the twelve feet in the air to their viewing section, easily swinging her legs over the rail.

"You know," she said, "I don't think Master Yoda was that mad at me after all. That was pretty fun. The younglings are adorable."

Mor bit back a smile as Dooku laughed, and Windu threw up his hands. The Vaapad Master left shaking his head.

Kenobi grinned at her, "It should scare people that you're more hyper than a pack of seven and eight year olds."

"Not really," she said, "They're too small to have built up real endurance."

Qui-Gon pulled on her braid fondly, "I think you missed his point, Padawan mine."

She looked at Mor, and Mor felt her see him through the Force, it sang around him and he stood very still.

The Force had been Mor's only companion for a long time, as a Shadow, he had been trained in ways that most Masters couldn't even fathom, but standing next to this child, he felt as if the full attention of the Force was on him.

It was unnerving.

"Mor," Qui-Gon said, and he was glad he used the correct variant of his name, "This is Padawan Rey Palpatine, Rey, this was my first apprentice, Master Mor, and his apprentice, Asajj Ventress."

"A pleasure to meet you, my dear," he said.

She hopped off the ledge and before he knew what was happening, she had him in a hug.

It was the first true hug Mor had had in over twenty years. He stood frozen and she pulled away from him before it grew awkward.

She squinted at him, "You'r-" she stopped herself, cocking her head, and glancing down his body.

She shouldn't have been able to see or sense a thing on him, but though she had no shields, his shields seemed to be non-existent to her. Plus she had probably felt some of what he was carrying when she hugged him.

"You are a walking arsenal. You wouldn't happen to be _the_ Mor, would you?"

"Who is _the _Mor?" Kenobi asked.

"Yes," Asajj answered, her tone superior, clearly taking stock of Rey as an opponent and coming to the conclusion she was something to worry about, "he is."

Rey looked at him, "Sweet."

He raised a brow at her, "You're not afraid?"

She grinned, "You wouldn't kill one of your fellow Padawans would you?"

"That depends, I didn't like Xanatos much."

She waved it away, "Yeah but he's already dead."

"I'm sorry," Kenobi interrupted, "How did we go from introductions to homicide?"

Rey motioned to him, "He's the Mor." As if that explained it all.

Which to anyone from the Outer Rim, it would have explained it. "Where did you find her, Qui-Gon?" Mor asked.

"Tatooine," he answered, "she was the mechanic who fixed our ship."

"Ah, that explains it," Mor said, appraising the girl with new interest, "here I thought you were Nubian."

A frown crossed her features, "I've been a scavenger the majority of my life."

Not, he noted, a denial.

"Who is the Mor?" Kenobi asked again.

"He's the best Assassin in the Outer Rim," Rey told him, "The One Man Army, he's killed hundreds at a time, a kill count in the thousands, the Scourge of Nar Shaddaa, _the Mor_."

Qui-Gon laughed, "He's a Jedi, Rey. Feemor would ne-" but he cut off when he saw Mor's expression. "You aren't, are you? She's exaggerating."

"No," Mor said, waiting for his disapproval, "she isn't. Such a guise was necessary for my position."

He couldn't read Qui-Gon's face, neither approval nor disapproval.

Kenobi on the other hand was horrified, "But why?"

Rey punched his shoulder, "Because it's Nar Shaddaa. You think the underworld of Coruscant is scary? Nar Shaddaa is eat or be eaten. Sucks that you got that station," she said to him, "I wouldn't go to Nar Shaddaa unless I needed to rescue a specific person, living there must have been hell."

Mor looked at this little ball of light, who had not moments ago been happily jumping around with a group of younglings who somehow knew enough about Nar Shaddaa to not only understand some of the severity of his mission but had an idea of what it had cost him.

Sometimes he didn't think the Council even understood what they asked of him.

Dooku, who was the newest on the Council in Mor's view, watched him sadly, as a native of Serreno, he had a clue as well.

Mor didn't want their pity.

But Rey's attention had drifted to Asajj.

He thought she was admiring the lyrical tattoos, Asajj took the attention as a challenge.

"What are you staring at, girl, never seen a Dathomirian Zabrak before?"

Rey's face lit up, "You're a Dathmirian Zabrak? You look nothing like my friend, you don't seem to have any horns."

Asajj curled a lip, and almost growled, "That's because I'm not a male, you fool."

Rey didn't take the insult, it seemed to flit past her, "Neat, I didn't know there were such differences between males and females."

"Females are vastly superior in our race. Females are more intelligent and more powerful, the males are brutes."

Rey laughed, "I'll be sure to inform Maul of your high opinion of his gender then."

"You think I care?" Asajj asked.

Kenobi stepped in, "She didn't mean anything by it. Right, Rey?"

"Mean anything by what?"

Mor was getting a headache, he had sort of been hoping Rey and Asajj would get along having both been brought to the Temple as adults.

That didn't look to be the case.

He put a hand to his temple, why did he have a headache? He was well used to Asajj's mood swings and Rey's presence seemed to make the Force happy, so why…

He looked up at the ceiling. He tried to see into the stones with the Force.

"What is it?" Qui-Gon's voice cut through his wandering thoughts.

Mor looked at him, "This is going to sound strange, and I don't know if it is my time away or if I'm finally growing paranoid, but the Temple feels sick."

"Ha!" Rey exclaimed, "I told you I'm not crazy!"

"Rey," Kenobi sighed, "you just agreed with a Jedi _assassin_. That doesn't make you less crazy."

"You feel it too?" he asked her, ignoring the other Padawan.

She nodded, "I feel like the walls are watching me. It goes deep. I found it in the underworld near the Temple too. There's something wrong."

Dooku spoke then, "She had a psychometry vision triggered by the Temple walls not long after she first arrived here."

"What did you see?" Mor asked.

"A black figure beat me up. He tried to get me to use the pain as power, to use my hatred and rage to pull on the Force."

Mor growled, "Sith."

"Why would there be shades of the Sith at the Temple?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Perhaps because our archives house a number of artefacts," Mor guessed, though that didn't explain the very walls of the Temple being corrupted. "This is something to discuss with the Council at a later date, I think."

Maybe a few of the other Shadows should make a detour home to see if they could locate the root source of this infection.

"Obi-Wan, why don't you take Rey and Padawan Ventress on a tour of the Temple."

Asajj looked to Mor for help, but Mor thought she needed to learn some social skills, he sure as the Force was mighty, not going to be the one to be able to teach her social graces.

Maybe he should give her to Dooku for a few lessons.

As if reading his thoughts, Dooku said, "Come, you three, I'll take you on a partial tour then we will retire to my apartment for some tea."

Asajj continued to stare at him for help, pleading with her baby-blues.

He smiled at her, "My Padawan would be honoured."

She gave him a betrayed look, but resigned herself to following the proud Count from the hall.

Leaving Mor with his former Master.

"Come," Qui-Gon said, "I could do with a cup of tea as well. And perhaps you can explain some of this assassin guise to me."

The Mor sighed, suddenly wishing he had spared Asajj, only to prolong this much needed reunion.

oOo

Mor sat in his Master's rooms, his collection of memories having grown much larger over the years.

He couldn't help but smile at the glass wind chimes in the corner.

Mor had bought them as a gift for Qui-Gon on the day he had earned his knighthood and Qui-Gon his Mastery.

Qui-Gon poured him a cup of tea, "Rey is partial to those chimes. This room is her favourite room to meditate in the entire Temple."

The Mor let his senses explore the room, he was no touch clairvoyant. But he could feel the lack of Darkness here, "This room is filled of things with your Force signature."

Qui-Gon sat and sipped his tea.

They were quiet for a time, and this room was to Mor, more than anywhere else on Coruscant, his home.

It was good to be back. It was impossibly wonderful to be back with Qui-Gon.

Memories of them together threatened to overwhelm him, especially those with Tahl. The three of them had found themselves in a great deal of trouble, often in those days. Qui-Gon had been much more bull headed and full of ambition.

The days when they believed they could change the galaxy if they just tried hard enough.

The Council had despised them.

"I know how you took my words when last we spoke," Qui-Gon said finally.

Mor said nothing. What was there to say? Qui-Gon had let his insecurities demolish what they had together, taint even his relationship with Tahl before she passed. He had placed too many of his hopes in Xanatos. Qui-Gon's idealism had nearly been his own ruin.

"I didn't mean you to believe that I denied you as my apprentice."

Mor gritted his teeth, the old wound, long scarred over was a phantom pain, "Then what did you mean, Qui-Gon? And do not feed me retro-active regret. I was there, if you remember."

"I remember being distraught and being a fool and pushing away nearly everyone who cared for me or needed me. I know what I said, but what I meant was that though you were my apprentice, it was not my teachings that made you who you are. We were both so young. You taught me as much as I taught you. We were brothers, you never needed a Master to become a knight, but Xanatos was the youngling who I brought to the Temple, he was the boy who I chose and took as a Padawan.

"He shouldn't have been brought to the Temple away from his family, he shouldn't have been chosen as a Padawan. I failed him. My choices, my teachings led him to the Dark Side. But you, Feemor, you never needed me, you were independent, and you were my friend. By the time you graduated we were equals. I think you were perhaps the better knight, I did not deserve the title of Master then."

Mor went silent, finishing his first cup of tea, and letting Qui-Gon pour him a second.

Mor let the resentment and self-doubts he harboured go. He looked at Qui-Gon, his equal, his peer, his brother, and finally understood what the man had been getting at. He sighed, Mor really should have known that Qui-Gon, who had not been a wordsmith in his youth, would say something as idoitic as he had and simply assumed people would garner his true meaning rather than take his words at face value.

Mor sighed again, _O__h, Qui-Gon._

He set down his cup, "Qui-Gon, did you ever think that perhaps seeing the best in someone, seeing past their faults was not a weakness? Kenobi was overlooked by everyone, and only in your fear did you almost not give him a chance as well. The actions of others are not your fault."

"Xanatos was my fault."

"Xanatos might have made a great Jedi had Yoda not tested him so soon."

Qui-Gon, ever the stubborn man when it came to his own perceived failures, said, "Yoda saw what I did not, better that he broke then then after he had a Padawan of his own or been placed on some vital mission."

"Or perhaps a Padawan might have changed him."

"Yoda-"

"Qui-Gon, what you are missing is that Xanatos was a normal person. Talented, yes, but a normal person. There are many things one could have changed or not changed, done or not done. We often ask our Knights to be exceptional, and most are, but many are simply given time to rise to the occasion.

"You are not the same man who trained me as the one who now trains Kenobi and Palpatine. Perhaps Xanatos fell where they will not, both because of who they are and because of what you have to offer as a teacher."

"I can not be absolved of all my mistakes."

The Mor nodded, "I know that you have made the same mistake with all four of us."

Qui-Gon bowed his head, "And what mistake is that?"

"You gave us the trust and the freedom to choose for ourselves. Yoda does not make such mistakes, yet both his Padawans sing in the Dark."

Qui-Gon stared at him, "You've changed. I did not foresee you choosing a life as a Shadow."

He shrugged, "I was curious."

"Curious about what, Feemor?"

He smiled, and he knew it wasn't a kind expression, not one that anyone who knew him would recognize. "I wanted to see how far I could push myself, how close to the brink I could go before falling over the edge."

Qui-Gon looked at him with dark blue eyes that knew it was too late to come to the rescue, "Was it worth it?"

Mor was quiet for a long time before he stated, "I have proposed to the Council that no Jedi be stationed on Nar Shaddaa. Missions when needed, of course. But it is a place of near complete darkness, and even Shadows need light to exist."

"Did they heed you?"

"They have."

They said no more, and Qui-Gon did not push him.

Mor feared that his life's work had been worth nothing, that the crimes he had committed had only added to the suffering of the galaxy.

He gave that fear to the Force, and the Force did not desert him.

* * *

AN: Reactions, thoughts, ideas, or renowned assassins in need of hugs?


	17. Pirates

AN: Well, I just broke a lease and moved back in with my parents. Take care of each other, be serious, be kind, don't add to the hysteria, but please, please do what you can to limit the speedy spread of this airborne virus. Do not go to hospitals unless you are in true need. We are going to get through this, humanity has survived far worse. Stay home if you can. Much love to you all.

Now onwards with this free entertainment :D

Chapter 17 - Pirates

Qui-Gon had many faults, he was aware of this, but putting his Padawans in undue danger wasn't typically one of them.

Which is why Feemor -_Mor_ offering to spar with Obi-Wan and Rey filled him with trepidation.

Yes, he trusted Mor, and if his Padawan was anything to go by, he was very much the Jedi Master he had always been destined to become.

But when Mor said he hadn't used a lightsaber in two decades, Qui-Gon's response was immediate.

"No, you may spar with Obi-Wan, but not Rey."

Mor raised a golden brow at him, "Is she so unskilled?"

Rey, ever the dutiful Jedi Padawan, let him answer. Qui-Gon was grateful for her lack of competitive pride. Yes, she and Obi-Wan could get competitive, but he was her senior, a teacher, and she respected him too greatly to be hurt by his superiority.

Obi-Wan was a good influence.

"She has yet to gain a handle on Shii-Cho and you are out of practice with sparring," Qui-Gon said.

Mor shrugged and pulled two short swords from under his cloak, the motion so smooth and quick, Qui-Gon wasn't sure where the sheaths were.

"Swords versus staff then," he said.

Rey grinned, "That I can do."

Qui-Gon still felt it was a bad idea but relented. If Rey slipped, Mor wouldn't accidentally take her head off.

At least he hoped not, those swords looked as if they had done worse.

Obi-Wan and he stood to the side with Master Dooku and Padawan Ventress. Her gaze was focused solidly on her Master.

Qui-Gon was interested in the girl, she was the same age as Rey and was herself a power in the Force. But he felt the conflict in her.

Just as there had been conflict in Ky Narec and now, within Mor.

Feemor had never struggled with the Dark Side before as a Padawan, but then, Qui-Gon hadn't exactly raised him to be a killer either.

And now Mor circled Rey with a quiet step of a jungle cat with blue eyes that mocked humour. As if he had seen or done enough to find his own internal dialogue reproachable.

Rey, true to form, played defence.

When Mor lunged at her, Qui-Gon was left almost breathless at their speed.

Mor was formidable, and Rey… she had been holding out on them.

For she met his every blow with her staff, the sound of metal on metal filling the room like a clattering of rain against a roof.

Rey was predisposed to like Mor because of his connection to Qui-Gon, but she didn't treat him like she treated Obi-Wan or the Temple guards.

She wasn't playing with him when her staff came around to meet his shoulder with a solid blow.

And not five minutes into the duel, the Force changed between them, neither called to the Dark, but it seemed to be pressing on them, calling to them.

He saw it the moment Mor stopped playing with her, and Rey's speed went from graceful to erratic. Like the difference between Ataru and Juyo. The Seventh Form was more difficult, but more deadly, because if one had enough experience with the Fourth Form the moves were predictable. The only thing predictable about Juyo was the chaos.

Such was Rey's fighting style as her staff work altered from graceful sweeps to violent jabs that only Mor's strength kept him safe from.

But Mor was swift too, he held back until he had an opening for a killing blow.

Qui-Gon ran, using the Force to aid him, he put himself between his two students, the youngest and the oldest.

Rey halted her movement, the length of her staff pressed to his lower back as she caught her balance. There was no pain, as she had only been bringing it up for a block.

Mor's blades, on the other hand... Qui-Gon was amazed at his skill that he could stop the motion, the blades touched his neck without breaking the skin.

But he was not impressed with Mor's actions. Qui-Gon met cold eyes.

They said nothing, Mor did not back down, there was no remorse in that cold, almost inhuman, gaze.

There was nothing.

Here was a killer not because he enjoyed it, but because he saw no other way to be.

It broke Qui-Gon's heart. Feemor had been his little brother, eager for the world, and faith that life and love would win out even in the darkest corners of the world.

That boy was dead.

Qui-Gon pulled his saber from his side and ignited it.

Mor raised his brows, lowering his blades as he stepped back.

Qui-Gon turned on Rey, who thankfully had the presence of mind to ignite her staff.

He had been training her for nearly three years now, and he never sparred with her. He had shown her form and style, he walked her through endless motions but he had never sparred with her.

She was fleet-footed, but she was slow with lightsabers. Her form was dramatically better with two blades than one, but she still wasn't a natural with it. Two beams were more difficult and she slowed her speed or she might have hurt herself.

This was good but gave Qui-Gon the advantage.

He had his lightsaber at her throat in thirty seconds.

Her eyes were wide, but there was no anger there. Their bond was wide open, and she knew his purpose was not to humiliate her, just as he knew she had been wanting to spar with him for a long time now.

_If Obi-Wan was good, the Master had to be better._

Qui-Gon smiled, even as he said, "Again."

He appreciated her logic, but Obi-Wan was getting better and better at Soresu and was damn near on the verge of inventing his own lightsaber Form as Mace had done. Obi-Wan would be better than him one day in a pure lightsaber to lightsaber technique, sooner rather than later.

But Qui-Gon had always been more in tune with the Force than Obi-Wan, and Rey's lack of shielding gave away her every intention. But Qui-Gon didn't need the Force's guidance to win round after round with her, no duel between them lasting longer than a minute.

He was her Master, and he had been watching over her training nearly every day for the past three years.

"Again," he said.

"Again."

"Again."

She leaped over him and he brought his blade within a centimetre of her collar bone.

She was left wide eyed as she realized he could have decapitated her.

He turned off his blade and she followed, bowing in turn.

"You must get a hold on the basics, Rey. You would cause nearly any villain problems, but another Force user using a saber against you has years of advantage."

She nodded.

And they rejoined the spectators as Obi-Wan and Mor took the field.

This duel was much more interesting, and longer.

Mor spent the first half chasing after Obi-Wan around.

"Damnit!" Mor cursed at him, "Stand still!" Mor's blade was golden even as the hilt was matt black.

Ventress let out a small laugh, "My Master is rather efficient in a duel, Soresu is a challenge for him."

Dooku was less charitable, "Qui-Gon he's terrible. I would blame your teachings but Obi-Wan is exceptional."

Qui-Gon winced, "He used to be good at Ataru."

"He was better with the blades," Rey noted, as Mor twirled to meet Obi-Wan's counter strike.

Dooku smiled, "He's still better with a saber than you are, my dear."

Rey laughed, perfectly unoffended.

Ventress gave her a strange look.

Obi-Wan, seeing that his opponent couldn't keep up, started experimenting with the sudo-Soresu-Ataru he had been practising.

Dooku let out a breath, "His endurance is remarkable."

There was nothing extremely violent about Obi-Wan's attacks, but like Soresu, they were frequent, and like Ataru, he had to draw on the Force to fuel the motions, the flips and the fleet footed manoeuvring.

It was the seeds of something that Qui-Gon, and Dooku, were impressed by.

"Mace Windu better be careful he doesn't lose his battle champion place."

Qui-Gon smiled, "He's not so aggressive as all that."

Mor must have been listening because he called to them as he slashed at Obi-Wan, "Aggressively annoying."

Obi-Wan grinned and did not falter.

The duel lasted another ten minutes before Obi-Wan had Mor disarmed.

They bowed to each other, Mor sweating and panting, Obi-Wan as chipper as Rey.

Mor called his saber back to his hand as he walked back to them, "Alright, I admit, I've let my training slip. But if memory serves, he's better than Xanatos ever was."

Obi-Wan grinned, "I was thirteen last time I encountered him."

Qui-Gon shook his head, "Yes, Obi-Wan is better than Xanatos, but Mor, I am disappointed. That was abhorrent, Obi-Wan was playing with you."

Mor sighed, "I know, and I was actually going to ask if you had either any time or any suggestions for Masters who might be able to help teach Asajj. She shouldn't have to suffer through me relearning my form when she could be excelling."

"I am a Council member," Dooku said before Qui-Gon could speak, "I do not have time to take a Padawan of my own, but I could assist in teaching her form." He turned on the young Dathomirian, "What did Ky teach you?"

"Niman, mainly, but I adapted some, it wasn't enough for my purposes," she answered.

"Come," Dooku said, walking out onto the mats.

She followed.

Her blades were curved slightly and they ignited green.

Mor said to them, "You know, when I went to Ilum with her, she had the oddest vision of curved blades."

"Ky didn't give her sabers?" Qui-Gon asked.

Mor shook his head, "She wears Ky's kyber around her neck, but I thought she needed a matched pair for sabers. Two blades suit her."

They watched dual green beams of light attack blue, and Dooku hardly moved. He kept a hand behind his back as he tested her.

Qui-Gon tried not to smile, Dooku had already won, he was just feeling her out now. Mace might be able to take Dooku in a duel, but that was because of age, Dooku was still the best duelist of the Jedi Order.

Ventress drew on her anger, and Qui-Gon felt Mor tense.

But Dooku felt it two and ended the fight before her emotions could escalate.

"Well done," Dooku complimented, "I see much potential in you. I am an early riser. You will meet me each morning an hour before dawn."

Ventress looked to Mor, who nodded his approval, and she bowed, "Yes, Master Dooku."

"You might regret that," Qui-Gon murmured to his old apprentice.

Mor shook his head, "I will not hold her back because of my own failings." He looked at Obi-Wan and Rey. "This upcoming generation is going to give the Jedi a new sort of reputation though."

"At least they are going to drive Mace out of his mind anyway," Qui-Gon said with a genuine smile.

* * *

Maul did not hear from Plagueis again. Left to his own devices, Maul put his full energies into mastering Ataru.

He had healed quicker than he had imagined possible, even with the aid of the light.

Maul still refused to think the Jedi were correct in their teachings. They were a cult who hid their own blood-thirsty authoritarian reign with wise drivel and hypocrisy.

But Maul was beginning to see the Sith as no better.

Sidious had saved him from the Jedi, but he had also stolen him from his home, tortured him for years, and taught him power without explaining the reasons behind their methodologies.

Everything and every one had failed him, but not the Force, so Maul turned to the Force to guide him.

As he glided through the Ataru motions, letting the Force fill him, he didn't fight what came, neither the Dark nor Light, he embraced them both.

But he didn't throw aside his emotions as the Jedi were want to do, Maul would not make himself weak. He let his emotions fuel him, and when the Force hummed in warning when he treaded too far beyond his own limits, he pulled on the Light.

It was a difficult balance, but the Force came easily to him, teaching him, guiding him, as much as his own intuition and emotions led him.

The red glow of his saber lit the room, as his every sense was filled with the Force.

Sidious and Plagueis were too powerful for him to defeat on his own, but he would find another way.

He had thought he needed Rey to turn to the Dark Side. But maybe what was more powerful than the Dark or the Light was them both.

Maul would master both, he would become his own Master.

And then he would become the girl's Master.

She would be his weapon, his partner.

Together they could take down both the Sith and the Jedi.

* * *

Three months passed before the Council found an 'adequate' mission for Obi-Wan's trials.

The standard trials themselves the Council had unanimously decided would be a waste of everyone's time.

Obi-Wan was a Knight in all but name.

Which is why Qui-Gon had not expected to see his Master quite so angry when he and Obi-Wan came in to discuss their final mission as Master and Padawan.

He had a sinking suspicion it had something to do with Rey waiting out in the hall.

He wasn't disappointed.

"The trials," Plo Koon started, "are designed to test not just a Jedi's physical and mental technical skills, but their devotion to the Order and their ability to put aside their personal emotions and attachments for the good of the galaxy."

Qui-Gon had a bad feeling about this.

Dooku chimed in, "However, given the circumstances, this _test,_" the last word was filled with bitterness, "can be refused. And you may take the trials as you should have been able to before."

Obi-Wan bowed his head, "I am sure the mission, whatever it is, is the Council's wisdom to assign or not assign me."

Qui-Gon exchanged an annoyed look with an equally bothered Dooku, everyone knew in this room Obi-Wan would never refuse an assignment. The only thing Obi-Wan had ever refused was _not_ taking an assignment.

"As I am sure you're both aware," Ki-Adi Mundi said, "That Senator Sheev Palpatine has been missing for over a year now."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both went still, they both looked at Mace who ordinarily did most of the talking but was today tight lipped.

His lip thinned further.

"A bounty hunter by the name of Cad Bane, has sent a ransom to both Jedi and the Queen of Naboo," Depa picked up, "the ransom demands that if the Senator's daughter Rey Palpatine is not among the Jedi who give over than ransom money than Sheev Palpatine will be killed."

Qui-Gon had to fight back his anger at this. It was rare that anyone tried to leverage a Jedi's family against them, but then the Jedi weren't so numerous that the members of the Senate and the Jedi often had interlocking bloodlines.

"No," Qui-Gon said, "no, we will not play this game. This is meant to be Obi-Wan's trial, not Rey's. A Jedi's family should not be leveraged against us."

"Care deeply for our young Palpatine, does Padawan Kenobi," Yoda said, speaking for the first time, "And certain we are that Bane's threat is true."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "So we have someone who looks like Rey go as a decoy."

"Underestimate your Padawan, you do," Yoda said, not to Qui-Gon but to Obi-Wan, "A Master one day you will be, the risk of your apprentice you must weigh. Not long has she been among us, but a child she is not. Your trial is to save a man you despise and to keep safe a Padawan who is as much Qui-Gon's responsibility as yours, she is."

"If Rey says no to this, she is permitted to not go," Qui-Gon cut in, trying to tamper down his anger.

"Of course she is free to say no," said Ki-Adi Mundi, "But why would she?"

Qui-Gon glared at Mace and Yoda.

Yoda was serene.

Mace looked as if he would have liked to assist in Senator Palpatine's demise.

_Mace and I were outvoted,_ Dooku whispered through their bond.

Qui-Gon took in a deep breath, and let it out, "Fine, fine, but Rey is brought in, now, before we discuss whether or not to continue with this, even if Senator Palpatine's life bears no importance on InterGalactic peace."

"My point exactly," Dooku said, "Naboo already has a fine representative, Senator Sabe has done more for her planet and the galaxy in the last year than Sheev Palpatine has done in his entire career."

"Be that as it may," Plo Koon said, "The Jedi have been called out in this fight and the Chancellor specifically asked for his wish that Senator Palpatine be returned safely."

Rey, who he had called to through their bond, had walked in then and she froze at the door.

Qui-Gon tried to assess how she was feeling through the bonds but he sensed nothing, her emotions were under control as she continued to walk into the room.

As usual, when she entered the Council chambers, she had her breath under control and herself centred.

Even Qui-Gon could feel the intensity of the Force around the twelve Council, for Rey he knew it could be overwhelming.

She bowed to the Council but placed herself between Obi-Wan and himself.

Something tightened in Qui-Gon's chest, Rey still saw herself as a bit of an outsider. She knew her place was with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, therefore, she saw the Jedi as her family. But immersion was still a problem for her.

However, the last three months had been especially good ones. The younglings had all fallen for Rey's charms. Yoda had been forced to pass her around between different classes as even the most rambunctious class couldn't keep up with her for two days in a row. Yoda had even had Rey sit in with younglings for a few of their history classes.

Rey seemed enchanted by these, sitting cross-legged with a dozen children crowded around her, one or more on their lap as they listened to the teacher speak.

Nothing like having an adult be interested in their classes to get even the most inattentive child interested.

This wasn't to say Rey always knew what to do with children, she was quite out of her depth when a child broke down crying or had a burst of emotion. Rey wasn't a teacher or a parent, she was just Rey.

Ali-Alann, a Master close to Qui-Gon's stature with a far gentler nature, was particularly fond of Rey. He had told Qui-Gon, "She is meant to be a Knight, not a caregiver, but by Force, my old friend, she has such a heart. I trust all the Jedi in this Temple to put the younglings lives above their own. But I trust her to bury herself in the mines of Mustafar if that's what it took to save them. She is a protector, Jinn, she will give everything she has."

Those words were meant to fill him with pride, and they did, but it also filled him with worry.

He knew what she would say to this mission when Ki-Adi Mundi re-explained that Cad Bane had requested her personally.

She dipped her head, "Of course, he is a citizen of the Republic, if the Jedi Council thinks I am needed then I will help."

Obi-Wan let out an audible exhale of breath, but unlike what Qui-Gon wanted to do, he didn't lash out at the Council. Instead, Obi-Wan asked, "Where is Bane holding the Senator?"

"Bandomeer," Mace said shortly.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shared a look over Rey's head.

So, their Padawan and Master journey would end where it had begun.

The Force worked in mysterious ways.

Rey's excitement rose between them, "Do you think there will be pirates?"

Obi-Wan groaned, "Rey, pirates are not a good thing."

"Oh, come on, we could take on pirates."

Qui-Gon sighed, she was right, they had to treat this like a normal mission, even if he resented having to put their lives at risk for a corrupt politician who had sold his own daughter into slavery.

"May the Force be with you," Mace said, voice lighter when he saw that Rey appeared least affected by their mission.

But Qui-Gon agreed with Dooku's parting sentiment, "And if your mission fails Kenobi, you can always retake your trials. This mission is of low priority, all three of you are to come back safely."

Qui-Gon couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"So aside from Master Jinn being silly in not seeing how wonderful you are at the beginning of your trip to Bandomeer, and Master Jinn having to heal you after you got heroically choked out by a hutt, and then fighting off dragons, and saving a shipload of people, Xantos, getting yourself _enslaved, _and then saving planet together, what else did you manage at thirteen?" Rey asked, amused as they waited in the blue light of hyperspace.

"Well," Obi-Wan said with a grin, "I dropped out of the Order."

"What?" She squeaked, "no you didn't."

"He did," Qui-Gon confirmed, "I ordered him to not help an army of children trying to fight for the peace of their planet and the brat deserted me."

Rey laughed, "But of course you forgave him."

"There was no 'of course' about it," Obi-Wan said, "The Council wasn't pleased with me. And Qui-Gon, in case you haven't noticed, is a stubborn man. I had to scrape to get back in his good graces. Had it not been for Tahl, I might not be here today."

"But you're the perfect Jedi!"

Qui-Gon chuckled, "He turned that way at fifteen-sixteen, his way of rebelling against his maverick Master. Yoda himself has not quoted the code at me as much Obi-Wan has."

Rey shook her head, "You're both silly."

"What about you, Rey, what were you like at thirteen?" he asked. She didn't talk about her past much but considering their mission, he wanted to know more about her life.

Her smile faded, but not the light in her hazel eyes, "I won my freedom."

His stomach twisted, remembering his own short time as a slave on Bandomeer. His life had been in the palm of someone else's hand. "How did you do that?"

"There was a crash some kilometres outside our settlement. I saw it go down at high noon. It wasn't that far of a hike, but the terrain was treacherous. I knew no one else would bother it, a few good sandstorms and it would have been gone. But I saw the model, a TIE fighter is worth a lot."

Obi-Wan frowned, not sure that he recognized what a TIE fighter was.

"You betted those parts to buy your freedom," Qui-Gon guessed.

"It took me days," she said, "and Unkar gave me two half portions and three tins of water in advance for our bargain. I stripped that ship down until my hands bled. The pilot who had died on impact got a sand grave. The snakes came for him, and the damn voltages waited around for me. I stripped the parts in the day, and dragged the parts to safety in the night. In the end, dragging all those parts back was the hardest stretch, I had run out of water by then." She went quiet, her eyes had darkened.

Obi-Wan's gut twisted. His time in the under-ocean mines had been scary, but he had had hope of escape.

Where could she have gone after? There would have been no easier life afterwards on Tatooine.

"But you survived," Qui-Gon called her back from her memories.

"Yes," she said, smiling bitterly, "I survived."

"And you won your freedom with those parts?" Obi-Wan prompted.

"No," she said with a twist of her lips, "Unkar laughed at me. He took it all, and paid me a single portion for my cheek. He thought it was so hilarious, I did all that, nearly killing myself in the process, thinking I could earn my freedom. I was his slave. He didn't owe me anything, he told me what to do, everything I did or had was his by rights. What he promised me meant nothing."

Obi-Wan was aghast, "What? But-"

"It's the definition of the thing, I was property, not a person. Everyone else was struggling to survive, they wouldn't help me. I had no one."

"So what did you do?"

"I staged a protest."

Obi-Wan raised a brow, trying to imagine a little girl staging a protest against a slaver, "How exactly did you manage that?"

"I sat on Unkar's outpost and I told everyone who came that he was a backstabbing, dirty cheat. I also occasionally sang. Trust me, not a pleasant experience. I drove off, or at least, slowed down his business. He was pissed. I had never seen his jowls shake so."

Qui-Gon leaned back in his seat, "And he didn't shoot you?"

"People thought it was funny, and I was worth more to him alive than dead. He was too fat to chase me off with a stun prod and nobody was willing to take money to help him control me. He had broken a bargain, and until he fixed it or people forgot, they demanded payment before work or goods. Unkar never paid first. So I got to antagonise him to my heart's delight."

"And after a day of this, you were so annoying that he gave you your freedom?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, after a week of this, I fell off the side of his stand. At night I had retreated to my shelter, or during sandstorms. But during the day I was in the sunlight with only my clothes for protection, and I was near death from starvation when I rolled off the side."

Her voice was grave now, "I woke to Unkar shoving food at me, he said, 'Fine, girl, have your freedom. I will hold to our bargain, you're free to go. But you willn't, will ya? Because you got nowhere to go. You'll work for me till the day you die and you will always be hungry. For every part you sell me I'll give to you half of what it's worth, because you are now worth less than a slave.'"

They were all quiet for a long time. Obi-Wan had to fight down his rage.

"Did you regret it?" he asked finally, unsure of how to even begin to comprehend that fate.

She looked at him sharply, "Never, I never regretted it. I was able to move freely, I answered to no one, and Unkar couldn't sell me off. He didn't know I was training myself to be a mechanic before that. Skilled work was dangerous, it made me more valuable. He could only buy what I scavenged, he couldn't profit from my work." She shook her head, "When I was little, my greatest fear was growing up to be beautiful. You don't know what they do to beautiful women, Obi-Wan, you just don't know."

Obi-Wan's heart clenched, he didn't know and he didn't want to speculate. He had seen enough evil in the world to guess. He looked up at Qui-Gon whose face was hard as steel.

Qui-Gon loathed slavery with passion almost unparalleled with anyone else Obi-Wan knew personally in the Temple.

Their mission on Pijal had proven as much.

"How can you forgive your parents?" he asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know if I do, Obi-Wan. But I know I don't want my father dead. I don't want him to matter for my future. He took away my childhood, he doesn't get my future too. This is just a mission. We are here on behalf of the Republic, not because he matters to me."

He wondered if she knew that she was lying to herself.

Qui-Gon said, "Whatever happens, Rey, you belong to no one but yourself. I know this is a mission, but I want you both to remember that your lives are more valuable to the galaxy than this Senator. Yoda is testing all of us, our control, our emotions, our loyalties. But even Mace does not approve of this mission."

"Then why didn't the other Council members, aside from Master Dooku, agree?" Rey asked.

"Because they don't know your history," Obi-Wan said gently.

"Master Yoda does though," she countered.

"And Yoda has seen too many people he cared for grow and die," Qui-Gon said. "Maybe he is right, perhaps we will come out stronger for facing this internal struggle. But mark me Padawans, the only failure will be any of us coming to harm for the sake of this man."

Rey would have responded, but the lights flashed on the dash, and Obi-Wan helped her bring their craft out hyperdrive.

Out of hyperdrive into the waiting embrace of a Baleen-class heavy freighter.

Rey pointed, "Pirates!"

Qui-Gon pinched the bridge of his nose as Obi-Wan chided, "Again, Rey, pirates are not a good thing."

oOo

When their shuttle landed they disembarked quickly, their craft was so small that if the pirates had large guns they would have been pinned in.

Rey found the lower corridors, and they were safely underfoot as the pirates came stomping onto the loading dock where their ship had been pulled.

"A Jedi ship!" one exclaimed.

"We should kill them then we will make a name for ourselves, we would be feared in the galaxy!" another said.

"Agreed," said a deep voice, "and that is safer than holding a Jedi or more alive. Search the ship."

Obi-Wan, Rey, and Qui-Gon crawled on their hands and knees below them.

"I'm too old for this," Qui-Gon muttered softly.

When they were further away, Obi-Wan said, "We have to make it to the cockpit or we are never getting off this dumpster heap."

Rey pushed at his hip, and he shuffled to the side at four way conjunction in the tunnels. She found a pennel and flipped some switches so that monitors came alive, each a security camera. "We need to get here," she said pointing down a corridor, "I can open the doors from this, I think."

She began flipping switches.

A loud roar sounded from the passages above them.

Then voices and running feet, the pirates were screaming, their blasters going off.

Rey and Obi-Wan exchanged a look.

One voice rose clear above the din, "Who released the rathtars!?"

More screaming.

"What's a rathtar?" Rey asked.

Obi-Wan pointed at the screen as the tentacle monster grabbed a man by his leg and ate him whole in its leech-like circle mouth with shark-like teeth.

"That's a rathtar," he said dryly, "who by all the names of the stars would keep one on their ship?"

"Three by my count," she said, tapping on the screens. Rey looked between him and Qui-Gon. "What are we going to do?"

Qui-Gon twisted, sitting back so he was no longer on his hands and knees, he lounged, "We wait."

"But-"

"Padawan Palpatine, you can not save everyone, especially fools who thought they could kill Jedi for their reputation. Not our rathtars, not our ship."

Obi-Wan followed his Master's lead, and sat back too.

Rey looked aghast at them both, until Obi-Wan pulled out a pack of cards.

She rolled her eyes, but she sat back as well.

Qui-Gon won all the rounds.

The cheating bastard, Obi-Wan thought fondly.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, comments, or rathtars for this aspiring writer?


	18. Mistakes

KEYnote!: In this story, I have destroyed the Clone Wars plotline from being possible. I will remind you that there is **no time paradox** and the pairings I mention will not be the pairings I follow ;)

Chapter 18 - Mistakes

Dooku was rather enjoying himself teaching Asajj Ventress. Had he not had so many other responsibilities he would have taken her as a Padawan. However, he could admit that Mor was able to relate with her better than he could.

One early morning, Mor finally joined them, and Dooku called him onto the mats, "You are out of practice, so practice."

He caught Asajj's smothered smile as Mor scowled, walking onto the mats with his golden-yellow saber.

Mor was ruthless, and Dooku saw why his duel had grown out of hand so quickly with Rey.

Rey was a survivalist, Mor was a killer, neither was wired to hold back in a real fight.

But even with Mor's bloodthirst, Dooku had little issue holding him off.

Obi-Wan was more difficult to duel because his fighting style almost demanded Dooku attack first.

The violence with which Mor and Asajj used against him, only worked to Dooku's advantage. Makashi was designed for lightsaber on lightsaber combat. Ataru and Niman were designed for battling multiple enemies at once.

He disarmed Mor thrice before he was able to rest one of Asajj's sabers from her.

However, Mor was not inapt, the longer they practised the more heavily Mor relied on Qui-Gon's teachings. And Qui-Gon, wise teacher that he was, hounded all his apprentices with the basics. The basics of which even Makashi was built on. This made Dooku's job in retraining the Shadow that much easier.

At sunrise, they broke for tea.

Mor made the tea as Asajj stretched.

"You seem troubled," she said to him as Mor came back with a tray of tea.

"Take a seat, Padawan Ventress," he commanded.

She sat.

"She's right," Mor said, taking the centre seat. "You're crankier than usual."

"Watch yourself, Shadow," Dooku said, turning his gaze toward the rising sun. The clouds were touched with pink, the traffic winking in the light like sparks from a fire.

The three of them sat in silence as they waited for the tea to steep. Only after Mor poured each of them a cup, and Dooku had his first sip, did Asajj try questioning him again. "It's Kenobi's mission, isn't it?"

Dooku sighed, the tea was good, but his mood had soured. "Yes, it bothers me. Rey should not have been sent on that mission, her relationship with her father is… complex."

Less complex if they just let the bastard die, he thought as Mor said, "Why is the Council even bothering to save one politician? Naboo has already replaced him in the Senate to much success. I didn't think it was possible to get an amendment passed that quickly. I assumed a mere bill on abolition would take years. So why is Palpatine being prioritized?"

"Yoda," Dooku hissed, "Yoda thinking he knows best. But Rey and Kenobi are Jedi down to the marrow in their bones, to test them this way, to test _Qui-Gon_ in this way, it is cruel."

"Cruel how?" Asajj asked.

Dooku shook his head slightly, it was not his business to share, "Senator Palpatine is not a good man."

"So what?" she asked.

He gave her a look, "He's her father, and she wasn't raised at the Temple."

Asajj tapped her fingers on her teacup, "I am from a culture where our sires do not matter, no offence to your masculinity. But perhaps the way to help Rey isn't to harp on the father but rather to discover the reasoning of the mother. After all, it is the mother's choices that most affect the daughter."

Dooku sipped his tea.

The Jedi kept records on the family trees of all their initiates.

"Padawan Ventress, may I ask about your relationship with your mother?" he asked.

"She was forced to sell me into slavery when I was very young. I only reconnected with her recently."

Dooku went very still, "You forgave her?"

"It wasn't her choice," Asajj said, "I'm grateful that she wanted me, both then and now."

"And your father?"

"As I said, my sire means nothing to my people."

Dooku's mind was spinning as he reviewed what Rey had told him about her conflicted feelings about her father.

He had always liked Palpatine, as far as politicians went he wasn't so bad, he knew now that he was not at all what he had appeared to be.

What if Rey's unknown mother was something different?

_He said I would be safe._

Dooku pinched the bridge of his nose. There was no excuse for selling one's child into slavery.

But here a girl sat across from him, the same age as Rey, and she had forgiven her mother.

Is that what they wanted though? Did they want Sheev Palpatine to be forgivable?

He knew Qui-Gon must be worried, having lost Xanatos to his father.

"Master Dooku," Asajj said gently, "whatever the truth is, it will be exposed eventually. I had more trouble accepting Ky's betrayal and lies than my mother's choices."

Dooku nodded, setting down his tea, he said, "Excuse me, Master Mor, Padawan Ventress, but there is something I must look into."

oOo

"Run the test again," Dooku ordered the healer, frustrated beyond belief.

Rey's maternal side had been isolated, though the mother herself wasn't in the system, hence why the initial genealogy test had come back with only Sheev Palpatine listed as her father.

But Rey's maternal grandparents had come up in the system. Dooku had used his access as Council member to tap into the intergalactic data files on Republic citizens.

"The same," the healer said.

Dooku sighed deeply, "What are the alternative reasons it could happen then?"

"Half siblings?" the healer said, her voice sounding dubious, "I mean it should show us which of their parents coupled with whom as all four are in the data files but…" she made a helpless gesture.

"What can you tell me for certain?" he pressed.

Mace walked into the room, "You're late, Dooku. What are you doing down here?"

The healer looked at Dooku.

He motioned with his hand, "Go ahead, explain to Master Windu what you have discovered."

She winced, but she didn't back down, "My programs are not wrong and I have seen both their charts. I can and have done this manually."

"And the result?" Dooku asked, fighting to keep the sneer out of his tone. It wasn't the healer's fault he was so on edge.

"He's her maternal grandfather."

Mace sighed, giving Dooku an annoyed look, "I feel that I will regret asking this, but who is whose grandfather?"

"Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi is Rey Palpatine's maternal grandfather," the healer stated with dignity.

Mace blinked at her, "They are within five years of the same age."

"Six years, actually," the healer stated.

"That's absurd," Mace said, "Kenobi could not have sired a child six years younger than himself, much less a grandchild."

The healer threw up her hands, "I don't know, but I do know they are related. As I was telling Master Dooku, it is possible they directly share a relative."

Dooku looked to his fellow Council member, "They have a right to know."

Mace looked at him, "What? You don't want me to tell them now, do you?"

"The sooner the better, there is something wrong, I can feel it."

Mace sighed, "And I suppose that feeling is why Sifo-Dyas sent me to go look for you." He pulled out a hologram caller, muttering as he did so, "This is ridiculous."

An image of Qui-Gon appeared, hands on his hips, "Yes, Mace?"

"Are you busy?"

"Not particularly," Qui-Gon said casually as someone shouted in the background: "_JEDI SCUM!"_

Mace raised a brow, "You sure?"

"It's being handled," he said, "The rathtars are not on our side of the freighter at any rate."

"Rathtars?" Dooku asked.

"The pirates had them," came Rey's cheerful voice. "Obi-Wan, pull that lever."

"You sure?"

"Pretty sure."

Qui-Gon's image walked forward then sat down on an invisible chair.

"I told you it was the right one," she said.

"Says the woman who released the rathtars," Obi-Wan said in a tone both dry and amused.

"It worked out."

Mace cleared his throat, "Are you all alright?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon said, "we are descending to Bandomeer now. What was the purpose of your call, Mace?"

Mace exchanged a look with Dooku, who he passed the hologram to.

"Ah, Master Dooku," Qui-Gon greeted warmly, "What's happened now?"

"Is Obi-Wan busy?"

"I can talk and copilot at the same time," came Obi-Wan's voice.

Qui-Gon's hologram image was replaced with Obi-Wan's, "Greetings, Master Dooku."

Dooku did not waste time on small talk, "Do you know the Duchess Satine Kryze from Mandalore?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said at once, "Is she alright?"

Dooku frowned at his quick response, _Is it possible that he remembers their family ties?_

But Mace coughed, "Kenobi guarded her for a mission a few years back."

"Interesting," Dooku remarked, "The Duchess is your step-sister, Padawan Kenobi."

"What!?" Obi-Wan squeaked, and even though they couldn't really determine it through a hologram, the young man appeared to go pale.

"Damnit, Kenobi!" Rey cursed at him, "Master Dooku, please give us a minute so I can safely land the ship without Obi-Wan crashing us."

"I was not going to crash the ship."

"Says the man who just squeaked like a desert lizard run over by a speeder and went as white as a cotton bloom. Is it really that surprising that you're related to a Mandalorian?"

"Satine is not a Mandalorian -I mean, she is, but she isn't a warrior. She is a pacifist."

"Pacifism is for the rich, or for dead people."

"She isn't dead."

"Then she's rich."

"She was caught in a war when she was young. She has been trying to bring peace to her planet since then."

"Through pacifism?" Rey asked, "On Mandalore? Where a bunch of the galaxy's best warriors are from? That sounds like a great way to start a civil war."

Dooku adored Rey, sometimes she could be painfully naive, other times she saw straight through to the heart of the matter with remarkable simplicity.

Obi-Wan's scowl was humorous, and Dooku wondered if the boy had once had a crush on this Duchess.

They waited for another minute for their ship to land.

"Alright," Obi-Wan said, "can you repeat your statement and explain why you felt the need to tell me this on-mission?"

"Duchess Satine Kryze is by our best estimation your step-sister," Dooku repeated.

"Estimation?" Obi-Wan asked, "I'm sorry, Masters, what is the point of this conversation? Either she is or she isn't my step-sister. And to be clear, by step-sister, you mean related by marriage, not by genetics?"

"Estimation," Dooku went on, "because the alternative doesn't make any sense."

"Though it would be factual," the healer insisted.

"And an impossibility," Mace remarked lightly.

"The point?" Qui-Gon asked out of view.

"Duchess Satine Kryze is your step-sister as Rey Palpatine's mother is the Duchess's half-sister. Rey Palpatine's mother is also your half-sister, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Making Rey both yours and Duchess Kryze's niece," Dooku said. "And no, you and the Duchess are not related by blood, but we are unsure which of your parents are Rey's grandparents. I wanted to find out who her biological mother was, this was all I could discover. Who the mother is exactly remains unknown."

Obi-Wan's head turned, likely to stare at Rey.

Rey asked, "What was the impossible alternative?"

Dooku sighed, "That Duchess Satine Kryze and Obi-Wan Kenobi are your maternal grandparents."

Obi-Wan gaped at Dooku, before gaining his composure, "So Rey is my niece… that's -odd."

The healer cut in, "I have both yours and Rey's records, I can say with absolute certainty that the two of you are related. But unless cloning was involved, I can't exactly explain how."

Dooku felt Qui-Gon tug on their old bond, and Dooku opened the way for him.

_Why are you bringing this up? Why now?_

Dooku questioned in turn, _Don't you want Rey to have a familiar connection that isn't Sheev Palpatine? Surely, her relation to Obi-Wan is a stroke of fortune._

Qui-Gon didn't respond to this as Obi-Wan said a bit shortly, "Is that all, Master Dooku, Master Windu?"

"Yes, Padawan Kenobi. May the Force be with you all."

"And with you," he responded, cutting the communication.

Mace looked at Dooku with a furrowed brow, "That couldn't have waited? You know Obi-Wan shouldn't know more about his family unless he had reason to request it. You know, willingly approached the Council himself."

Dooku bowed to the healer, ignoring Mace altogether, "Thank you for your help, if you find out anything further, please contact me. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Council members."

They bowed and Mace followed Dooku out.

"Dooku, explain yourself, or so help me I will bring this up before the entire Council."

"Yoda made a mistake. Rey is loyal to the Jedi, but her father is dangerous."

Mace caught his arm, Dooku came to a stop, "You are afraid, why?"

Dooku glared down at the other man.

Mace did not let go.

The older Master sighed, "I fell for his charms, Mace. I believed in the stories he spun to me, the perspectives. The more I look back… was the Separatist movement my idea, or was it his? His words were sweet poison. I am seasoned, Rey is a child. She is _his_ child. He has done her enough harm."

Mace let go of him, "Yoda should have let this mission pass, but the Chancellor asked us to intercede."

"This is a mistake," Dooku said gravely, "I feel it in the Force. We shouldn't have sent her to him."

Mace quirked a smile, "Well, thanks to you, we now know she's as much a Kenobi as she is a Palpatine. And the stars know, that boy has far more influence over her than anyone else."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi is a good man, but he doesn't understand the Dark, and for better or worse, the Dark knows Rey Palpatine."

Mace sighed, "Have faith, Dooku. The Force is with them."

Dooku knew this was true, but he also knew that what was good for the Force wasn't always good for the people he cared for.

He couldn't shake the feeling that the storm was building.

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi had not been nervous about this mission.

He had been frustrated. Rey shouldn't have been on this mission.

Sheev Palpatine wasn't worth saving.

But now with Dooku's revelations, he was unbalanced, distracted.

Satine was his step-sibling? Rey was his niece?

Obi-Wan didn't know his parents, he didn't really care to either. He was a Jedi, his parents had given him a good life. But he had fallen in love with Satine, he had even considered leaving the Order for her, he might have if she had asked.

To find they shared a relation was so many levels of- of- _ick_. He wasn't even sure if it mattered to him that they weren't technically blood.

Qui-Gon put a hand on his shoulder, "Rey, scout the area."

She dipped her head before jogging off across the barren shoreline.

Obi-Wan took in a deep breath, bracing to face Qui-Gon. All it took was one look from those midnight blue eyes for him to know. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Of course I knew, you were a boy, Obi-Wan."

He sighed, "I- I don't know how to feel about this."

"You should talk to Satine when we've completed the mission."

"Qui-Gon, we might have been related."

"But you aren't," he pointed out.

"We _share_ a sister. Our parents were together, that's-" Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair. Rey had been cutting his hair for him of late, and she had snipped off the ponytail. When he suggested growing his hair out longer, she had ignored his wish to grow it out in the back.

"Think it through, Obi-Wan, you're making this a bigger deal than it is. What does this change in your life?"

He let out a breath and thought it through.

Satine and he were not related, but they were now family of sorts and he was both pleased with this and disappointed.

Some things were better in fantasy than reality.

He was a Jedi, would he really give that up for a life with a beautiful spirit like Satine?

He looked at Qui-Gon who he had left once to save a planet from war, maintaining the peace of that one planet had not been enough for him. If he was honest with himself, no woman would ever be enough to fill that hole in his life. Being a Jedi was his calling, his purpose in life.

Rey had circled back, her pace slow as she approached them.

What had changed between them? Niece. Uncle and niece.

He reached out and tugged on her braid, she grinned up at him.

Nothing. Nothing had changed between them. They were already siblings of sorts, and that ran deeper than blood.

Even now, he couldn't think of her as a blood relative, she was more important to him than that. She was as much Qui-Gon's Padawan as she was his, whether or not he had been knighted yet.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"Just the dubious transports we are supposed to take below the ocean," she said with a frown. "For the record, I have a bad feeling about this."

Qui-Gon sighed, "Well, if we follow the pattern of last time, I'm sure explosives will be involved."

"I mean we are missing Dark Siders and hutts," Rey said, "That's a plus."

"Where are the people who were going to meet us?" Obi-Wan asked.

"They said they would meet us in the mines," Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan shook his head, "I agree with Rey, I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

Rey's mind was in turmoil.

Obi-Wan was her grandfather?

How was that possible, how could Senator Palpatine be her father and Obi-Wan be her grandfather?

The first meant she was from this time and someone had messed with her mind, the second meant she really was from the future and someone had time travelled her back eighty years or so into the past. How could both things be true?

She had become so good at shoving this issue to the side that when Master Jinn commanded her to centre herself and focus on the present, she did so with a sigh of relief.

They had a mission to do, and with every league the descended, Rey felt the Force thrum in a warning.

Obi-Wan brought up a scanner on the ship, he was looking for life forms. "Today is an off day, but the mines are always staffed." He tapped on the screen bringing up the centres of life forms, "This is going to sound paranoid, but I think we should evacuate the mines."

She nodded, letting rathtars attack their captors had been one thing, but risking the miner's lives when they knew there was a deadly bounty hunter hanging out among them was another matter entirely.

"Agreed," Master Jinn said.

Obi-Wan switched on his comlink, "Si Treemba, can you read me? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Old friend Obi-Wan," came a pleasant voice, "We read you, we are waiting for you."

Obi-Wan smiled, "My old friend, I'm sorry to come to you with bad news. But I must advise that the mines be evacuated."

"We hear you, Obi-Wan, we do trust you. Are you still descending?"

"We are and will continue to do so, but you must start evacuation protocols now," he said with a growing urgency.

Rey felt it too.

When their ships connected with the dock, the bay was filled with dozens of Arconans going to their ships.

One met with them, greeting Obi-Wan warmly, "Obi-Wan, glad we are to see you."

"It has been too long, Si Treemba," he said in kind, "tell me, my friend, do you know where the bounty hunter, Cad Bane is holding out?"

Si Treemba, whose reptilian face was scaleless, shook his head sadly, "Core 5 has been disturbed, we don't know more than that."

Master Jinn let out a small sound of disapproval.

"What?" Rey asked.

"History it would seem is apt to repeat itself," Master Jinn said.

"And I don't think the same tricks will work twice," Obi-Wan added. "Si Treemba, get yourself and your people to safety. Leave us two shuttles if you can."

The Arconan bowed its head, "Take luck, my friend."

Rey followed after Obi-Wan at a run, Master Jinn dragged behind, checking their surroundings.

An explosion rocked the caves, Rey put a hand out to the wall to keep from falling, and a voice came over the speakers, "Come, come Jedi, time rides short."

Another explosion followed this taunt, rocking the caves like an earthquake.

"Small explosives," Master Jinn said, "Obi-Wan, we should turn back this mission-"

"Has changed," he cut him off, "We need to make sure everyone is out of here. Master go back the way we came, one of the explosions came from there and the miners will be panicking. Rey, stay with me, the second explosion came from ahead of us."

Master Jinn shook his head, "Padawan, we-"

"Are Jedi, and this is my mission. Please, Master, these people don't deserve to die like this."

Master Jinn shared a long look with him, and he nodded, "Perhaps Yoda was right." He looked at her as he said the last, "We cannot forget who we are."

She frowned, "Master Jinn?"

"Be safe," he said before turning back the way they came.

"Come on, Rey," Obi-Wan said.

She followed without another word.

They met several Arconans as they went, but it wasn't till they reached Core 5, her trepidation rose.

Another explosion rocked the mines, and the lights began to flicker. Screaming preceded them, and Obi-Wan ran headlong into the danger.

But something held Rey back. Following her instincts, she turned down a darkened passage.

She found a locked door. She ignited half her staff and she cut through it, the Force calling to her.

Or perhaps it was warning her to stay away.

Her heart was in her throat.

She felt Obi-Wan's panic when he realized she was no longer behind him, she sent reassurement down the bond as she worked the lightsaber beam through the metal.

Kicking the door in, the seared metal fell with a loud clank on the tiled floor.

She found a man laid out on a cot, tubes and wires were attached to him as monitors tracked his vitals.

It was her father, cheeks sunk in, closed lids bruised, and so pale his black robes gave him the appearance of a corpse. The monitors were the only thing that told her he did remain among the living, until they didn't.

Another explosion shook the mines, this time the power went out, the room lit only by the dim emergency lights.

Her father's breath turned raspy and she felt his life flicker through the Force.

"No!" she cried. Powering down her saber she ran to his side, "No, you bastard, you aren't allowed to leave me! Not again."

She put her hands to his chest, he was still breathing, but weakly, "No, no, no… you were supposed to come back. I hate you! If you leave me now I'll hate you forever and I'll never forgive myself…" Tears were trailing down her face as she reached through the bonds for Master Jinn and Obi-Wan.

They had to help him, she couldn't come this far just to watch him die.

She hadn't had the chance to-

She cut her thoughts short, feeling for the Force that swirled around them. The Darkness was thick down here, and she didn't know if it was because of where they were or because she had lost control over her own emotions.

The reality of her father dying hadn't hit her until she heard the monitors go dead.

She shook him, "Father! Wake up! You told me I would be safe, why? Why did you leave me? Why did you lie? We were happy." She hated her voice, the weakness she was showing. She had taken care of herself for so long and this man had abandoned her, but what did it matter. He was dying, and she was never going to have another chance.

Warning lights and mournful alarms sounded in the hall.

"Father, please, not again," she said, clutching his robes, "please."

She reached out through the Force to him, she wrapped her power around the ember of his life, trying to coax him back.

His eyes flicked open, he let out a low moan.

In turn, Rey's heart nearly stuttered, there was still hope for him.

She flattened her palms against his chest. "Breathe," she told him, "please, father, _breathe."_

Force save him, he tried, his eyes rolling, but he was able to take a breath, his eyes finally coming to focus on her. "_Rey,"_ he whispered, and it was almost like he said it through the Force.

She was crying, her own vision blurred, and she despised herself for it. She didn't want him to see her weak. Under his gaze she didn't feel loved, she felt like a bird caught in the gaze of a serpent. That she still wanted his approval broke something deep inside her. Broke her own self image.

She needed him to live.

This man who had sold her. Who had abandoned her, who had made her beloved mother disappear so not even Master Dooku could find her.

Rey pressed her hands down on his chest, and he gasped, but his gaze never left hers.

"Rey," he said again, his voice a whisper, but it was her father's voice.

She would have staked her life on it.

And she was about to.

Gazing down at this man, she knew that she should let him go. But she was too afraid to let him go. As Master Yoda taught the younglings, attachments led to the Dark Side, their fear of losing them.

And she was afraid of losing him, so afraid that she could feel the Darkness eating its way into her heart.

She closed her eyes, centring herself as Master Jinn had taught her.

"Help me…" her father said brokenly, "_my daughter._"

She flinched, but she steadied her own breath, knowing she should let go of him, but instead she let go of her fear.

There was nothing to fear if she could heal him.

She would not leave him behind.

Reaching within, she found the source of her own life and fed it to him.

She gave him life and he took her warmth.

Her eyes were closed, but even still, she saw white starbursts as her hands grew cold, as his breath evened beneath her touch.

She tried to stop, knowing that he could survive his injuries now, but she couldn't break the chain between them as he pulled the Force through her.

She didn't mind, the Force was with her, welcoming her, even as she grew colder and colder, the Light remained with her.

And she was not afraid.

* * *

Qui-Gon ran through the darkened tunnels, the explosives had taken out passage after passage. It was only a matter of time before the water pressure from above them came down on them.

He pushed himself further, cursing Yoda at every foot fall.

Rey's desperation had staggered him, now he felt her life fading.

Her light that was the sun was growing cold.

He found the room by the lightsaber cut out doorway.

Rey was on her knees, her hands on Palpatine's chest. Her shoulders were rounded and Qui-Gon could feel how shallow her breath was.

He ripped her back from the man she was trying to heal.

She let out a soft scream, her eyes rolling back as Qui-Gon held her. He passed a hand over her forehead, she was clammy.

"Rey, Padawan, answer me," he commanded.

"Master Jinn…" she slurred before her form went completely limp, and Qui-Gon swept her up fully in his arms.

Obi-Wan came into the room a moment later, covered in dirt and dust, he was bleeding at his temple. "Rey!"

"She will live," he told his wide eyed Padawan. The words were surer than he felt.

"Grab the Senator, we need to go."

Obi-Wan went to Sheev Palpatine, ripping out the tubes and off his oxygen mask, the Senator made a protesting noise but Obi-Wan didn't slow. He stooped to pick up Rey's staff, before hoisting the Senator over his shoulder.

Palpatine made an indignant noise, but wasn't able to form a sentence as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon took off at a run.

The senator had a less than pleasant trip with Obi-Wan's shoulder jabbing into his gut.

Qui-Gon didn't care, Rey was frightfully cold and still in his arms. He knew she was alive, but if not for the bonds he might have believed she was dying.

He couldn't help her and take her to safety at the same time. So he focused on the moment, drawing on the Force to aid his speed.

Another explosion rocked beneath their feet, and the passage they had just come through collapsed, the stones tumbling inward.

"Hurry, the pressure is building!" Obi-Wan called.

Qui-Gon didn't answer, knowing what would happen if the water broke into any air pocket.

They were too deep underground, the pressure would kill them as easily as a pressurized bomb. They were just lucky the mining technology had kept them safe this far below sea level so far.

It was a good thing Obi-Wan had asked Si Treemba for a second ship. Due to the foundation of the docks collapsing, they had to jump down to the ship. The hatch only opened halfway, the nose of the ship pointed down.

Obi-Wan unceremoniously dropped Palpatine through the gap.

The man yelled out a protest and a sharp curse as he landed.

Obi-Wan followed after, and Qui-Gon gently passed Rey to him. She never stirred.

Qui-Gon jumped in afterwards, the hatch closing behind him.

He took Rey back as Obi-Wan started the ship.

Standing, he balanced as the ship righted itself, Senator Palpatine rolled across the floor, his hands scrabbling as he tried to find a hand hold.

His leg was bent at an odd angle, and Qui-Gon wondered if it had been broken before or if it had broken when Obi-Wan dropped him.

The entire cave shook, and Qui-Gon yelled, "Go, Obi-Wan!" He buckled himself in, holding Rey close.

They were plunging into the water, when the final line of explosions went off, the lights weren't as impressive as the sounds, the vibrations. The water swirled around the ship, and just as they were emerging to the ocean bed, rocks clapped down on their ship.

Obi-Wan did something with the throttle, and they lurched forward, the glass of their front window cracked and Palpatine was slammed against the back of the ship.

But they made it through, they were headed toward the surface even if they were missing two propellers and a wing.

Warning lights came on and Obi-Wan pushed the ship faster.

"We're rising too fast," Qui-Gon said, his voice was even if he was sweating, his ears ringing.

"Better pressure sickness than being crushed by water."

"Obi-Wan, we have to slow down," Qui-Gon said, his chest compressing as he fought for breath.

But even as he said it the glass began to crack.

"Stop! Obi-Wan," he commanded.

Obi-Wan turned off the throttle. "We are going to have to swim." He unbuckled and went to the survival gear. Qui-Gon joined him.

Palpatine had pulled himself up against a wall, "Too deep," he said, "we're too deep."

They ignored him, the sound of the glass cracking like the ticking hands of a clock.

Obi-Wan found the rebreathers and diving suits.

"There is no time," Qui-Gon said, but Obi-Wan was fitting a mask to Rey's face. As she wasn't conscious she couldn't use the rebreather without her nose being plugged.

Obi-Wan's nose was beginning to bleed.

_Force be with us,_ Qui-Gon thought as he took a rebreather.

Palpatine took one, seeming to realize that their chances of surviving this had just dropped dramatically.

"We are thirty meters from the surface," Obi-Wan said, "we ascend eight meters each minute or we could do permanent damage to our brains."

He took Rey's saber and going to the hatch, he stabbed a hole through it. The ship began to fill with water as more warnings sounded, red strobe lights casting their faces in unnatural hues and shadows.

Qui-Gon felt his nose begin to bleed.

"What are you doing?" Palpatine croaked as the sea water rose around him.

"If we just went out into the ocean, the pressure would kill us, this gives us time to adjust," Obi-Wan explained, eying the windows.

If the glass gave they would have no time.

Qui-Gon put his back to the hatch, holding Rey close, supporting her head as Obi-Wan stooped to put an arm around Palpatine's waist.

"Rey," Obi-Wan called both aloud and through their bonds as they waited, their ship dead in the water.

"Rey," Qui-Gon echoed him, "Come now, Padawan, wake up. You must wake up."

She didn't flick so much as a lid, the goggle mask fogging with her breath.

She could probably hold onto the rebreather in her state, probably.

Qui-Gon tried to even his breathing, his lungs were tight, but the Force was there with him. He had explained the idea of healing with Rey, but he hadn't thought she would try it.

He should have known better, this was his fault, his failing as her Master. His mistake.

He should never have allowed her to come on this mission.

"Did you get…" Palpatine tried to say, "safe, the mines?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, wiping a sleeve under his bleeding nose even as blood still dripped from his head wound. "No, helped some, but I lost five in a cave in, I tried dragging one Arconan out, but his lungs had been punctured by a falling stone."

"Quiet," Qui-Gon told them as he focused on Rey's life source.

Why had she shared so much of herself?

No wonder the man was doing so well despite having been hooked up to so much life support equipment. Even the broken leg didn't seem to slow his mind much.

Qui-Gon pushed it all out of his mind, focusing on Rey's light at the end of the bond.

She was cold, he shared some of his life force with her just as the glass broke and Obi-Wan hit the button to the hatch, and they were sucked in different directions.

He barely had the presence of mind to put his own rebreather in his mouth as he folded himself around Rey.

_Rey!_ He called through the bond.

He felt her wake. Felt her panic at having a large someone holding her and then her registering the icy water surrounding them.

The speed of exiting the ship was replaced with the slow sinking suspicion in the water. In the water, they were at once weightless and heavy.

Qui-Gon raised his head, blinking into the salty depths, he saw at first nothing but an endless blue, but then he saw the two silhouettes of Obi-Wan and Palpatine. Obi-Wan had an arm under one of Palpatine's, both held onto Rey's staff, keeping them locked together.

_Obi-Wan! _Came Rey's panicked thought, she was delirious.

_I'm here, Rey, bite down on the rebreather._

Qui-Gon had the bonds between them wide open so he knew she did as instructed even if her attention was wavering.

_Obi-Wan…_

_Stay awake, Padawan,_ Qui-Gon ordered as he began to swim toward the surface.

_Master Jinn… where…_

_Stay awake!_ Obi-Wan called to her, _Just stay with us, Rey._

She stayed awake with constant encouragement, but Qui-Gon knew she never came to enough to understand what was happening.

It was slow going to the surface, fully dressed as they were, Rey hardly conscious, and Senator Palpatine wasn't much better, especially not with his broken leg.

The cold wasn't good for Rey, and Qui-Gon fought to keep his connection to the Light as they swam up through the vast blueness of the ocean.

He almost didn't feel the giant fish that rose to the depths to take a bite out of them.

Obi-Wan ripped the staff from Palpatine's hands and used it like a spear, the blue light shining like a star as he cut through the things fanged muzzle.

_When we get back, we are talking to Master Kit Fisto too and redesigning our own lightsabers. Rey was right to ask about the underwater capabilities of a lightsaber._

_Agreed,_ Qui-Gon thought back at Obi-Wan as they continued their slow ascent.

_Keeeeet Feast-do…_ Rey mused through their bonds.

_Almost there, Rey, stay with us a little longer, _Obi-Wan told her.

_Obi-Wan… grandpa..._

_You're never going to let me live that down, are you?_

_Harris… funny… I'm a Mando too...after all…_

Qui-Gon wanted badly to dash to the surface, not least of which when more predators came to eat the thing Obi-Wan had killed below them, the creature's black blood clouding the water they swam through.

The last few minutes were painstaking.

Breaking the surface, Qui-Gon took the mask off Rey's face, "Look at me, Rey, look at me."

Her eyes were unfocussed as she blinked up at the sun and the rebreather fell from her lips.

He kicked at the water with his feet as Obi-Wan burst to the surface. Obi-Wan struggled to stay above the waves as he was half drowning with Palpatine's listless weight at his side, the man looked as if he had aged another twenty years. His white hair translucent when slicked to his skull. Obi-Wan lifted an arm, signalling to the ships floating on the waves.

Qui-Gon angled her face to him, "Rey, look at me. Padawan Rey, _look at me."_

Her eyes focused on him for a moment. Her lips were blue as she said too softly, "Cold, Master Jinn, I'm so…"

She went limp, and Obi-Wan began shouting to the rescue team.

"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon yelled in warning as the Force called to them. He pushed a hand out, using the Force to propel them back from each other as another giant fish with razor teeth and black eyes leaped from the water.

An even bigger fish rose from the water, it's muzzle snapping one of their rescue rafts in half.

_I miss the rathtars,_ Obi-Wan quipped as he fended off one of the creatures with Rey's saberstaff. At the surface, the super heated blade hissed and created steam.

The ocean creature screamed, diving low.

The Arconans were shouting for them, a bigger ship, sped toward them.

Obi-Wan used the Force to throw Palpatine onto the craft, he went over with a startled shout. Obi-Wan swam back to Qui-Gon's side, they switched loads without discussion. Qui-Gon used the staff as a pike to keep the monsters back, and Obi-Wan used his youth and stamina to swim and then climb up onto the ship with Rey in his arms.

Qui-Gon wasn't far behind and helped the rest of their rescue team off their rafts. The ship hovered in the air. Both Rey and Palpatine were insensible as they rested on their sides in case they choked up any salt water.

"Well," Obi-Wan said, half sitting, half falling into a seated position by Rey as Arconans brought them thermal blankets. "That couldn't have gone much worse."

Qui-Gon fell to his knees beside his Padawans, putting himself between Rey and the Senator. "We could have died."

Obi-Wan began to shiver as he looked down at Rey.

For once, Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't have any smart remarks.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, ideas, any type of feedback or sea monsters for your author whose new goal is 300k, pretty please?


	19. Teaching Methods

Chapter 19 - Teaching Methods

Obi-Wan didn't leave Rey's side through the night, neither did Qui-Gon.

"She will be alright, Obi-Wan, she just needs sleep," Qui-Gon said for the hundredth time late the next day.

They were on Naboo in their medical wing, Qui-Gon having insisted it was better not to move her.

"Obi-Wan, her energy is simply depleted."

"It is more than that, and you know it. She gave him her life force."

"She did, and it will likely take weeks for her to be back a hundred percent. Healing is dangerous but she didn't give him anything permanent. She didn't give him years of her life, or her connection to the Force, she just expended a great deal of energy that no amount of practice or endurance could have prepared her for."

He ran a hand through his hair. He knew that, _he knew_ that but it was hard to think with Rey so still, an IV in her arm.

"Go to sleep, Obi-Wan. She will not be happy with you if she sees you like this."

"And you?"

"I am still the Master here, after you have rested, I will."

Obi-Wan nodded, knowing Qui-Gon was too stubborn to alter from his chosen path. And Obi-Wan was tired, clean and bandaged, but so tired.

He took the second cot.

He thought it would be difficult to quiet his mind, but he was out before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Rey woke from a dream of drowning in black blood.

"Easy, Padawan," Master Jinn hushed, placing a large hand to her forehead.

She fell back against the bed, "Obi-Wan?"

Master Jinn smiled and leaned back so she had a clear line of sight to the other bed. He was asleep, mouth slightly agape.

"He's okay?" she asked.

Master Jinn nodded, "Worried about you, but yes."

"What happened?"

"You nearly killed yourself healing that man."

His voice was hard and she flinched, she couldn't quite meet his gaze. She knew the difference between him having told her that healing was possible and teaching her _how._

He sighed, "Rey, did you heal him because it was our mission to save him or because he is your father?"

She looked up to meet his dark blue gaze, "Because he was my father," she said softly, "He was dying and… and I want to know Master, I want to know, and I'm so afraid of the answer that I can't bring myself to ask."

He was silent for a long time before he asked, "How do you feel?"

"Weak," she said, "But fine. I tried to stop, but… I didn't know what I was doing."

Master Jinn frowned, "You tried to stop?"

She nodded.

He shook his head slightly, then sighed again. "Rey, I know I am not always the best example of a proper Jedi, but there are reasons the Jedi renounce their family ties."

Her chest felt tight and she felt very small lying down just then, "I don't want him to matter to me."

"It is alright that he does, Rey. But you must not let your emotions cloud your judgement. You could have died yesterday, and Obi-Wan and I could have died trying to save you. You gave too much. Field healing is an absolute last resort. Even your endurance has limits, and this you cannot build, cannot strengthen. There is a set limit to how much you can heal at any given point. If someone was injured now and you tried to heal them, you would be unconscious in a matter of moments."

She nodded, "The Force is limitless, I am not."

He took her hand and squeezed it, "What do you want from Sheev Palpatine?"

Her heart constricted, and a thousand answers and emotions came to mind even as the word that sprang to her lips was a denial, _Nothing, I want nothing._

But that was a lie, and she wouldn't lie to Master Jinn.

"I want the truth, I want him to tell me the truth, no matter what it is. I mean, perhaps that's not truly what I want but it's what I need."

"And if he can't give you that? He's a politician, Padawan, and a devious one at that. I remember him from my own Padawan years, he has influence across the galaxy. He will say whatever he thinks you want to hear. You are a young Jedi who is close to the High Jedi Council. Having you as a daughter is an advantage to him.

"You can be his daughter if you wish to be, but if you also wish to be a Jedi, you must be aware that your responsibilities to the Order must always come first. Your choices might not seem large at every turn, but the underlying purpose of his ambitions will always be for his own betterment. And while the Jedi are not always correct, our goals are always to promote sustainable peace throughout the galaxy."

"We serve the Force," she said, squeezing his hand. "I didn't mean to fail you, Master."

He shook his head, "You have not failed, Padawan. Your only failure would be not learning from your experiences. We all make mistakes. The question is not if we are infallible, it is whether we will let our shortcomings corrupt us or if we will strive to overcome them."

Rey sat up, and Master Jinn put a hand out to steady her, "I need to speak with him."

"He is still in intensive care, but he is stable thanks to you."

"Can I see him?"

Master Jinn nodded, taking her arm as she got her legs out from under the blankets.

She was barefoot and the robe she was in was little better than a shift. She had to use the IV stand to help her to her feet even with Master Jinn at her side.

She felt dwarfed beside him in this state.

It was slow going to the end of the hall, but the nurse greeted them warmly.

"He is just coming around, I'm sure the Senator will be happy to see you both," the nurse said, his voice deep, "Senator Palpatine, the Jedi are here to see you. Master Jinn and your daughter, Padawan Palpatine. I'll give you some privacy." The nurse left with a bow of his head.

Senator Palpatine was sitting up, his left leg bulged under the covers due to a cast. He greeted them with a smile and though he still looked too thin and there were bandages here and there, he looked far better than when she had found him.

Master Jinn helped her sit.

"Ah, my rescuers. Naboo continues to owe you three a greater and greater dept," he said, his tone completely sincere. "And you, Rey, daughter, I could never repay you. You have my deepest gratitude."

Rey had grown up around hagglers and con artists, she had even grown handy with it on Tatooine where she had been haggling for actual money as opposed to food portions. She knew when someone had spotted something they wanted, something they couldn't part with.

Her father had that look in his eyes. Sure, his expression was sound enough, warm and humble; ready to love his long lost daughter, ready to give his 'heroes' whatever they could dream to ask for.

But Rey saw the truth in his eyes.

Master Jinn had been right, she wasn't a person to this man, she wasn't a daughter, she was an _advantage_, a part that would make his world run smoother.

The man who had raised her was there too, in his voice, around the edges of his features, but that man, her father, he was dead. Replaced by this cold-hearted politician who refused to acknowledge her. Refused to drop to his knees and beg for her forgiveness for what he had done to her.

"Who is my mother?" she asked.

His eyes flinched, but his mask morphed from one of welcome to solemn disappointment, "I reached out to the women I was with during the time you might have been conceived, but none match the test we took."

A hot flash of rage filled her, she remembered her parents together, they had raised her together on this planet. She remembered their voices, remembered the forest, far from this marbled palace.

They had been a humble family.

She let the emotions go to the Force, the Light soothing the heartache.

There was nothing genuinely humble about this man before her.

"I will give you one chance," she said in a low voice. "I am Rey Palpatine, because it is the name she gave me. So I will give you this one chance to give me the truth, or I will wash my hands of you."

He frowned, and she might have clapped at his act of confusion if he weren't tearing her apart.

He must have seen something in her own expression because he hesitated before speaking, he looked to Master Jinn, "Could you give us a moment?"

"No," she said before he could answer, "No, he is my Master, this is his business."

She saw her father fight not to sneer. She might have trouble with Jedi at the Temple, with people all trained to calmly handle disputes with respect, but negative emotions she knew how to read well enough.

"Very well," her father said a bit more coldly, "the truth is, Rey, I do not remember all the women I was with over two decades ago, and I never knew I had a daughter until we met on Coruscant."

_Liar!_

She wanted to scream at him, she wanted to hurt him, she wanted-

She wished she had let him die.

And she hated him for making her weak, both physically and mentally.

She let out a held breath. And just as she had with the Sith shade, she took all the hurt and the unanswerable questions, all the heartbreak, and gave it to the Force.

But unlike then, the Light took it all gently as dust swept away into hot sands, leaving her lungs cleaner, her heart lighter.

It was enough.

She squeezed Master Jinn's wrist and he helped her stand in a deceivingly fluid motion. Her voice was more solid than the stone beneath her chilled feet, "I was told that the High Jedi Council issued a restraining order against you, I would like you to respect it. Do not contact me. If you must, then you can go through the proper channels or contact Master Jinn."

The Senator looked flustered and offended, "I have done nothing against you, child."

She wished he had slapped her, it would have hurt less. She held onto Master Jinn a bit more firmly, pulling on the Force, the Light taking the pain in a warm glow of power, "No, Sheev, you are nothing. And I want nothing from you."

Something dark shadowed his eyes, his voice was not so smooth as he said, "You bear my name, my legacy."

"No," she said, raising her chin, "Palpatine is my name, and I will be remembered long after your bones have been ground to dust. And my legacy will be more than a name, more than the small deeds of some heartless politician from a jungle planet on the edge of the Outer Rim."

He didn't fight to hide his sneer now, his malice finally revealed, "And you think the Jedi are so superior? Your life will be recalled nowhere, your death will not make a single ripple in the galaxy. The Jedi are nothing but the dogs of the Republic."

She smiled because with those words he had just severed any hold he might have had on her.

"Goodbye, Sheev," she said, Master Jinn helping her turn and leaving as dramatically as she wanted.

The Force seemed to skip ahead of her steps, seeming to want her to leave as much as she did.

The tears didn't start until they made it back to their room, Obi-Wan was still sound asleep.

Master Jinn wrapped her in a hug, "I'm so sorry, Padawan."

She rested her cheek against his chest, the tears didn't grow and she didn't make a sound.

She never should have waited for the parents who had given her away.

The people who had measured her life in credits.

* * *

Padme had Padawan Rey moved into one of the Queen's personal guest chambers as she no longer required medical assistance, just rest.

None of the Jedi seemed celebratory despite their successful mission. Even Sheev Palpatine was in low spirits.

And Padme had yet to break the news to him, she didn't think the man needed any more bad news. Even the judge had delayed his trial given the severity of his injuries.

Padme was worried about what secrets he had given to unknown foes after what appeared to be a year of torture. As a Queen, she was rarely left alone, but as she had been wearing two hats as Senator and Queen, she had been allowed more freedom. At least in her own suite that currently was hosting three Jedi.

And Qui-Gon Jinn, a man who was one of Naboo's heroes, was a close friend to her these days. It was Qui-Gon who had helped her so much with the abolition amendment and who had introduced her to Master Dooku.

"Satine, I don't know, and I don't want to reach out to them."

"My parents would have never cheat-"

"It is likely our joint sister is older than us," Padawan Kenobi's voice cut her off. "I'm sorry, this isn't important. I shouldn't have called."

"No, Obi-Wan, it is good to know I have a niece, that _we_ have a niece. Stars, but that is an odd thought."

Padme hesitated by the open door, not wanting to eavesdrop. She didn't know the Padawans as well as she knew Qui-Gon. Padme had met both of course, and she knew both were kind and friendly, though she knew also that they were training in a manner that made even the other Jedi pity them.

"It is good to hear from you," Padawan Kenobi said softly.

"I've missed you, Obi-Wan. It is good to hear from you as well. You should bring Padawan Palpatine to visit us, as it seems likely her mother was a Mandalorian, my parents never travelled off world in those days."

"I'm sure Rey would enjoy that, she made quite an impression on the Mandalorians when we were on a mission on Kashyyyk."

"Wait," the woman, who Padme had finally placed as _Duchess_ Satine of Mandalore, "Rey Palpatine, she's not, I mean she isn't the young Jedi weapon Master _Maas_ forged a staff for, is she?"

Padawan Kenobi sighed, "One and the same."

Duchess Satine laughed, "Then I might be requesting your help in a few years. Stars help us, Obi-Wan, she is famous on Mandalore. You have no idea what she has done for the public opinion of Jedi here. The Jedi with a Mandalorian weapon. They might try to claim her as one their own if they discover she shares a bloodline with a Mandalorian, even if it's my bloodline."

His response was dry, "Oh, they already have. They kept calling her a foundling."

The Duchess laughed, "Ah, well, if in the future our planet is ever in need of Jedi aid, I suppose I know who to call."

"I suppose so, I'm sure Rey wouldn't mind in the slightest."

"How are you really, my friend?"

"I'll be knighted when I return to the Temple."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

There was an awkward pause, and Padme decided she would leave them be but the Duchess's next words froze her feet.

"I always loved you, you know."

"I did too, Satine."

"Did?"

"I've changed, I think."

"We aren't truly related, and I heard… well, I heard the Jedi could get married now."

Padme hadn't heard this, she thought marriage was strictly forbidden for anyone in the Order. Why hadn't Master Dooku mentioned it?

Maybe it wasn't such a big deal.

"We have not spoken in years, Satine, and would you truly be happy if I left you behind to fight battles across the galaxy?"

"Peace missions."

"Which usually end in me getting shot at, or having large carnivorous animals chasing after me, such as sea monsters or rathtars."

"Violence breeds violence, Obi-Wan," Duchess Satine chided gently.

"That isn't a luxury everyone has, Satine, not when the choices are killed or be killed."

Padme agreed strongly with this, even as the Duchess of Mandalore said, "Killing is wrong."

"So is standing by and doing nothing," he countered.

"I would die for my people."

"Dying isn't that hard, Duchess, keeping your people alive, that's the ticket."

"If my people weren't warmongers, their lives wouldn't be in danger."

"If your people weren't warriors, maybe your planet wouldn't enjoy the freedoms it has today."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, Satine, I meant no offence, I just- Self-defence and the ability to protect one's people from harm is not inherently bad."

"Since when does a Jedi take the side of warriors from Mandalore?"

"Since I shared a meal with them and found their code as honourable as my own."

"You have changed."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Did I?" the Duchess asked with false flattery, "I must go, Obi-Wan, give our niece my best."

"Of course, it was good to speak with you."

"Yes, congratulations again on becoming a Jedi Knight."

Padme could hear Padawan Kenobi's sigh from across the room.

She hesitated, wondering how she could walk on without him knowing she had been there.

He solved the problem by calling out, "I know you're there."

She straightened her shoulders, she was dressed as Sabe today, so her clothes were formal and her hair was done up, but she wasn't wearing the heavy garments or makeup of the Queen. She walked into the room, head high, her embarrassment masked behind an even expression, "Apologies, Padawan Kenobi."

He shook his head, "No need, I'm used to it. Privacy isn't exactly a thing at the Temple, and I could have shut the door."

"Duchess Satine Kryze is quite the character," she said as she joined him by the window. The day was beautiful, the sunlight dancing on the petals of flowers decorating the stone of the window sill.

"That she is. Her stance on neutrality is noble, but in my memories, it sounded like a better stance than it does today."

"Neutrality has its place," Padme said, "but often, it results in someone else dying for your ideals."

He laughed, the sound boyish. She noticed how bright his blue-green eyes were.

"Yes, but try telling her that."

"I think you did."

He grinned at her, "It went well, don't you think?"

Padme, who was curious by nature, nosy as a result, and direct to a fault, said, "I heard a dreamer suggest the possibility of marriage and then a proud warrior breaking her heart with a difference in politics."

Kenobi laughed again and she had to smile in turn. She knew he was older than her, but for a moment, Padme let herself appreciate how attractive he was. No wonder the Duchess had shared her feelings for him so candidly.

"So your Highness, or is it, Senator? How are you this fine afternoon?" he asked.

"Padme is fine, and I am well, yourself?"

"Rey grows stronger by the day, so I am well. Master Dooku and Qui-Gon speak rather highly of you, by the way."

This time she did flush, "They are good men."

"They want change as much as you do."

"And do you want change, Padawan Kenobi?"

"Obi-Wan is fine, and yes. Especially if it leads to a galaxy without slavery."

"A cause worth fighting for?" she quipped.

He smiled, "Indeed. Not everyone sees what its worth, but slavery is the height of moral corruption. I hope you, I mean Senator Sabe, keeps their office."

"I have decided not to re-elect Sheev Palpatine, though it will do Naboo no favours in the Senate, well liked as he is. But with his upcoming trial, the storm of scandal that will surround him would not do our system any favours either."

Something hard crossed his expression.

Jedi were pretty peaceful people, which made their ability to mask their emotions easier than many politicians could because they weren't hiding their feelings but dispelling them entirely.

But the longer Padme spent around the Masters, the more she came to realize how expressive their faces could be. And at least with Qui-Gon, when he went silent he was silently sassing you.

"Why do the Jedi hate Sheev Palpatine so much?"

"Hate is a strong word," Obi-Wan said cautiously.

"I was told not to trust him."

He looked at her closely, "I guess it is good you don't trust him then."

She tried to school her face better, then thought better of it and rolled her eyes at him, "But nobody will tell me why. Master Dooku said I should ask Padawan Palpatine."

"Then you should ask her."

"But you know. Why can't you tell me?" and she hated how young that made her sound, but she wanted to know what it was almost as much as she wanted to know why they wouldn't talk about it openly.

He smirked, "Because it is her business, and the Jedi aren't in the habit of talking openly about their family relations."

"She's yours and Satine's niece," she said innocently, blinking her darkened lashes at him.

It was his turn to roll his eyes, "Come on, Queenie, let us heed Master Dooku's advice. If you don't and he was right, he would never let you live it down."

She followed him to the connecting door between the rooms, "Dooku is the only Jedi I know of who is as good a politician as he is a knight."

"As he is the duelling champion of the Order, that is a frightening thought."

"I didn't know that," she said as they crossed into the room.

"He's modest."

"My Master is not modest," Qui-Gon said, looking up from his hand. He was sitting cross legged on at the foot of Rey's bed.

Padme saw Rey use the Force to replace a card in Qui-Gon's hand and as he turned to call her out, she laid down her hand, "Jyn rummy."

He laughed.

"We've come to relieve you of your babysitting," Obi-Wan said.

Rey stuck her tongue out at him, before asking, "How was your talk with my grandma, grandpa?"

"What?" Padme asked, completely confused.

"The blood work came back strange," he said by way of explanation. "Your _aunt_ sends her best. Also, you're famous on Mandalore. Don't let it go to your head."

"Satine knows Chakraborty?"

"No, she knew of Maas. Though I don't think she is fond of your weapons master, Duchess Satine does not approve of the warriors of Mandalore."

She cocked her head, "_Is_ Mandalore in a civil war?"

"Off and on."

"She's a fool."

"Padawan," Obi-Wan began, "Not our rathtars, not our ship."

Qui-Gon smiled, "Ah, so I am still able to teach you something." He stood, walking to them, he tugged on Obi-Wan's braid. "Come, Padawan Kenobi, I believe Padme has some questions for our Padawan Palpatine."

Obi-Wan swept Padme a bow and winked at Rey.

Padme watched the two men leave and was left alone with the other woman.

Rey patted the bed, "How are you, your Highness?"

"Padme, please, and I am well. The real question is, how are you?"

"I'm good, all healed, Master Jinn is just being overly cautious. I'm about to crawl out of my skin. I'm dying to go for a run."

Padme sat on the edge of the bed where Qui-Gon had been. Bird song sounded through the well-lit room. "I feel like I should see you around more with how much time I spend at the Temple."

"Master Jinn keeps us busy," she said without malice.

"Master Dooku speaks of you and Obi-Wan often."

She smiled, "As he talks of you: the genius behind the new Republic amendment."

"I was not the only one writing that, Senator Bail Organa helped, as well as the Jedi Masters."

"Senator Organa?" Rey asked.

"You know him?"

"Yes! I mean no, not personally, but well, if there is one planet in the whole galaxy I would want to go to it is Alderaan. I heard it was a paradise."

"It is closer to the Inner Core, but it is much like Naboo actually. The weather is a bit more temperate, however," Padme said, startled by the girl's enthusiasm.

Rey shrugged, her interest not dimmed in the slightest.

"Padawan Pal-"

"Rey is fine if I'm to call you Padme," she interrupted.

Padme nodded, "I wanted to ask you, Rey, what I am told is a personal question."

"Ask," she said easily.

"I was told not to trust Sheev Palpatine by the Jedi, and when I asked why, they said I needed to speak with you."

"Oh," she said, all humour draining from her face, but Padme saw no fear or anger on her features, "That was kind of them."

Padme sighed, "Rey Palpatine, why shouldn't I trust your father?"

"Because he sold me into slavery when I was five years old."

Padme's mind went blank, and then she sprang to her feet and nearly shouted, "He did _what!?"_

Rey reached out a hand, "It's alright, Padme, please-"

She jerked back from her, "Alright? It isn't alright! That evil… I can press charges. This is Naboo, as his daughter you are a Nubian citizen. That is so many shades of illegal, he's a criminal!"

"Please, your Highness. I'm not a Nubian citizen any longer, I'm a Jedi. I can't necessarily prove what he did. It would be my word versus his and-"

"You were a child!"

"But I am no longer a child," Rey said, her hazel eyes pleading, "Please, Padme, I don't want to be known as the girl whose wealthy and successful father sold her to a slaver in the Outer Rim. I'm more than that. I am a Jedi, where I began doesn't matter as much as who I am today."

Padme had to take several calming breaths, she didn't know if she would ever be able to look at him again. She had hoped he wasn't guilty of the charges being brought up against him, now she hoped he was, now she hoped the bastard spent the rest of his life in a cramp prison cell.

"Padme, I'm alright."

She looked at the young Jedi, bedridden because she healed the man who had damned her. "How could you save him? Why would you?"

"Because I loved my father."

Padme deflated, her heart hurting for this other woman. "That makes it worse."

She shook her head, her shoulder length hair free from her typical buns, "But I can't control him, not what he does, what he feels. But I can control what I do. Maybe a part of me wants him to hurt, but a bigger part of me wants to feel nothing at all. Letting him die when I could save him might have destroyed me."

Ignoring decorum, Padme kicked off her shoes, and slid into bed with her. "You're wrong. You might be a Jedi, but you're still a Nubian, this was your home once, we are still your people too."

Rey bumped her with a shoulder, "So, you're my queen?"

Padme bumped her back, "What do you want to know?"

"Know?"

"About Naboo, what do you want to know about your home world?"

Rey's smile could have outshone the sun, "Anything, everything."

Padme took her hand, and they leaned back into the pillows, "My favourite thing about Naboo, aside from the people, are our lakes, but specifically the pools in the remote places. The places whose architects were the rains and tides, the greenery running wild. Naboo is known for its art. But I believe it is the beauty of this world that taught our people what art is meant to be, to feel like."

Padme talked until the sun dropped below the horizon. Her handmaidens came in to bring food in but she waved them away as Rey had fallen asleep at Padme's side.

Obi-Wan came in, setting aside a tray as he took the seat by the bed. "Thank you," he said softly.

"How could she save him?" she asked, her own voice barely above a whisper.

His smile was sad, "She doesn't have it in her to truly hate someone she once loved."

"I couldn't forgive him for what he did. I will never forgive him."

"She hasn't forgiven him," Obi-Wan said, "she let him go."

Padme respected the Jedi, deeply, but she doubted she would ever understand them.

* * *

Despite the unnerving quality of the Temple, Rey was happy to be home.

Both Obi-Wan and Master Jinn were called away by the Council, leaving her free to do as she pleased.

So she went to the training rooms.

Master Jinn had told her to take it easy but wasn't even as if she was injured, any she had suffered were long healed. Besides she was feeling more herself everyday.

Rey was looking for an empty room, when she found Asajj Ventress practicing with Master Mor.

He noticed her at once, "Ah, Padawan Palpatine, finally back from your mission."

She flushed, not liking that the delay had been entirely her fault. But she entered the room, "Yes, Master Mor."

He looked her over, "Chin up girl, everyone gets hurt at some point."

"What are you two up to?"

"Basics," Asajj said, her tattoos flexing as she bared her teeth, "Master Dooku said we aren't allowed to practice Makashi without his supervision."

"Join us," Master Mor said.

Rey bowed her head and took her place at Asajj's side.

Mor sighed as they ignited their sabers, "Two blades is all well and good, but the adjustments you have to make is a hassle."

"Oh no," Asajj simpered, "have we made the Masters' jobs more difficult."

Mor smiled a dimpled smile at her, "You just earned yourself another hour." For a man who wore only black, he had a remarkably fair complexion.

Asajj lunged forward at him, and he ducked underneath her and would have swept her feet if she hadn't jumped out of the way.

She went back to her formations as Master Mor held out his hand for Rey's staff. Not bothering to switch it off, she tossed it to him. He caught it easily spinning it as Master Jinn had done the first time he held her original staff that Jiwarr the Wooki now had.

He did three motions with it before slowing and showing her the Shii-Cho motions that Master Jinn was trying to drill into her instincts.

He tossed her staff back and she copied the motions, Asajj in sync beside her. It was a bit odd training with people she didn't have a bond with.

"So," Asajj said, "I hear you train with younglings."

Rey finished a sweep with her staff, "Yes, I do."

"What a horrid punishment."

Rey couldn't help but smile, "Everyone says that, but it is kind of fun. I didn't grow up here so it is interesting to see how everyone else was trained. Besides, the initiates are adorable."

"Maternal instincts?" Asajj asked with false sweetness.

Rey laughed, "No, no, I'm not cut out to be a mother. And I don't want to be. Master Ali-Alann says I'm very patient, but I couldn't be with the little ones all day unless there was a crisis or something. But sitting in on a few of their classes-" she paused as they completed the final sweep of the sequence before repeating. "Sitting in on their classes is fun, even when they get repetitive, each younglings' questions and reactions make it interesting."

"I wouldn't want to be a mother either," Asajj said, her green blades crossing each other even as Rey's staff swept down.

For a moment Rey thought back to Maul's fighting style and wondered at how easily he had wielded her weapon.

Would he like her staff?

A part of Rey wanted to know about the Force sensitives who weren't Jedi, but it was probably better to ask Maul rather than possibly reveal him to the Order.

She had promised not to expose him.

She had his comm frequency, would he want to meet with her if she called?

"Well done, Rey," Master Mor encouraged, "Shii-Cho doesn't require a pull on the Force, we are trying to train your muscle memories in this exercise, Padawans."

"Why not both?" Asajj asked.

"Both are fine, but when you pull on the Force you ease the strain on your muscles. In this case, we want your muscles to tear and heal. That is a natural part of creating muscle memory. I know, Asajj, you find this repetitive, but all lightsaber forms are based on the basics because the basics are designed to never have the blade in danger of hurting oneself. You can do all sorts of crazy things when that is so ingrained into you that you don't need the Force to keep you safe from your own weapon."

Rey almost sighed with the plain explanation, _that_ made sense. Master Jinn had said versions of the same but Master Mor was more of a straight shooter.

"Asajj, I swear by all the moons and empty places in the galaxy that I will throw you out the window if you try that again."

Asajj spun again, a classic Ataru spin.

Rey had a split half second to turn off her saber and drop to the mats as the Master and Padawan pair went after one another in a lethal exchange of green and gold.

Master Mor did eventually get Asajj to the window, only Asajj managed to pull the Shadow out with her.

Rey leaped out the window, using her unignited staff as handhold to keep herself from falling down the long smooth surface. Asajj clung to her waist, and Rey looked over her shoulder to see Master Mor hanging onto Asajj's right foot.

"You two are ridiculous!" Rey called to him.

"Padawan Rey!"

She looked up into the training room, to see a small group of initiates touring the Master training rooms.

Little Ahsoka, a seven year old Togruta girl ran to her, "Padawan Rey! What are you doing outside of the window?"

Ahsoka was probably one of the most spirited initiates that Rey had met thus far in her detail with Master Yoda, and of her age group, she was the one who could keep up with Rey the best during circuits.

"Oh, you know," Rey said as casually as she could manage as the wind buffered against her, "Just training."

"But out the window?" Ahsoka asked, coming closer to look down.

Rey turned in time to see Asajj bare her teeth at the little one.

Ahsoka pulled back giggling as Master Ali-Alann called, "Come Miss Tano, it is best not to question Master Jinn's teaching methods too closely."

"Bye Padawans!" she called to them as she ran back to her group.

Rey could see Ali-Alann, a man as large as Master Jinn, grinning at her.

He was no fool, he knew this wasn't a training exercise.

When she was sure they were out of hearing range, Rey called down to their esteemed Shadow, "Are you going to climb up or are you enjoying the view?"

"I don't know, Rey," Master Mor mused, "I'm not sure I and my fellow Shadows have checked the outside of the Temple stones yet for Dark energy."

Asajj snarled, "I will give you dark energy." And began trying to kick him off.

Rey sighed, firming up her grip.

* * *

AN: Please if you're enjoying this story at all, take a sec to drop a comment or review, they will both make my day and make this story worth sharing :)


	20. Obi-Wan Kenobi

KEYnote: Am I going to make Rey a dyad in the Force with either Obi-Wan or Maul? No. I'm going with the new-canon's logic of it being a Sith thing. Am I going to abuse the Padawan and Master bonds? Probably. But none of this cosmic soulmate shit, just the Force being cheeky.

P.s. Jedi librarians are canonically insane.

Chapter 20 - Obi-Wan Kenobi

"What do you mean she tried to stop?" Dooku asked, "It's healing, not telekinesis. You stop when you choose to stop. As soon as your concentration wavers, your ability to heal stops."

"She was nearly unconscious when I pulled her back, Master," Qui-Gon said, pacing back and forth.

"What was the feel in the room?"

"Dark, but I couldn't place it."

"Healing is Light, Qui-Gon, purely Light, there shouldn't have been Darkness."

"She almost killed herself."

"Light is not synonymous with good, you know that. But I don't understand why she couldn't stop. When you pulled her away, did it break their connection?"

Qui-Gon shuddered, "A connection…" he thought back to it, the energy passing from one being to the other. Father and daughter, but more than that… "Yes, it broke when I pulled her back, but…"

Sifo-Dyas who was sitting in the seat across from Dooku asked, "Were you breaking her concentration or were you breaking his?"

Qui-Gon turned a worried gaze to him, "You think he is Force sensitive?"

"We've had our susptions in the past," Dooku said, tapping his fingers on the table. They were in his rooms now, and Qui-Gon knew he was wishing for Serreno as he frowned at the view outside his window.

"Rey re-enforced the restraining order."

"That's good at least," Dooku said, closing his eyes.

"Has Rey ever healed anyone before?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

"No," Qui-Gon said, "I didn't even teach her how, just explained the principle of it. It was foolish of me, I should have known she would try it. But I didn't think she would use it on this mission, certainly not on someone whose injuries were mostly internal."

"Internal?" Dooku asked, "I thought he was tortured, not beaten."

"His bones were fractured, his nerves sliced, it was significant damage. They found odd drugs in his system as well. Whoever had him was some type of scientist. The nurse said the damage was meant to hurt not kill, but he's not a young man and there was so much of it… had it not been for Rey he would have died. The nurse thinks it's a miracle he didn't die of shock, he theorized some of the drugs in his system must have helped with that." Qui-Gon wished he had died before they had found him, the bastard didn't even have the decency to tell them who had kidnapped him to begin with.

Though perhaps his torture was past remembering.

"How close to death was he?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

"He was dying."

"And Rey saved him on the brink of death?" Dooku asked, sharing a worried glance with Sifo-Dyas.

"Yes, the machines keeping him alive failed in an explosion. But he was fine, almost well, when Obi-Wan and I took them to the surface. Rey was worse off than him. What are you two thinking?"

Dooku shook his head, "She should have been able to stop healing the moment she wanted to pull back."

"Then why couldn't she?" Qui-Gon asked.

The two Council members shared another look.

"What?" Qui-Gon demanded, losing his patience.

"You know the Shadows have begun to be recalled to the Temple," Dooku stated.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Sifo-Dyas let out a sharp breath, "My Master, Master Lene Kostana, and I have been reviewing texts as the Shadows having been sacking her archives."

"And?"

"My Master is of the opinion that we should be preparing for a Sith uprising."

Qui-Gon felt the blood drain from his face, "No. I mean, we are not even certain Sheev is a Force sensitive much less a Sith. And our dear librarian, Master Kostana has been saying that as far back as I can remember. Why heed her now?"

"Dark Siders are not so uncommon as we would like to believe," Dooku said, "That most of them occupy our prison is no small thing, but aside from some outliers, such as Nightsisters of Dathomir, Dark Siders are either fallen Jedi or of little consequence."

"I know this," Qui-Gon stated, "How does it relate to Sheev?"

"You have suggested two worrying things to us, my old Padawan. One is a simple fact, Rey should have been able to stop healing, trained or untrained, which means either she lied and wanted him to live even at the price of her own life, or he took from her."

"What do you mean took from her?"

"The ability to take the Force, the _life force_ of another Force sensitive is an ability associated with the Sith," Dooku said. "It goes beyond what most Dark Siders are capable of, it isn't something a fallen Jedi could manage to do even if they thought of it. I have heard rumours that Mother Talzin has an akin ability, but to take life, not energy from life, but to take that which is given during healing, that is _Sith_."

Qui-Gon stood frozen, had they saved a Sith Lord? Is that what they had done? Had a Sith Lord almost killed his Padawan?

Sifo-Dyas went on, "Since Rey's encounter with the Sith shades on Ilum, the Council believes it is possible the Sith have survived. We think they have existed across the last thousand years in hiding. A part of the Shadows being called home is not to just search the Temple for negative influences but to reexamine our own defences."

"Do you really believe that Sheev Palpatine is a Sith Lord?" he asked.

Dooku smiled at him sadly, "It is possible, Qui-Gon. But if he is, perhaps it would explain Rey's previously inexplicable relation to the Dark Side of the Force. There is nothing in her personality or history that makes her connection to the Dark and the Sith shades attraction to her make much sense. But if her father was a Sith lord, well, we know our abilities can be hereditary."

"How do we prove it?"

"We can't," Sifo-Dyas said, "unfortunately, being a Sith Lord isn't actually illegal. And perhaps it is for the best, Sheev Palpatine is in our sights now. Queen Amidala has already approved our requests for surveillance on his ships and droids. If we try to take matters into our own hands outside the laws, he would both be alerted to our fears and would alert the other Sith to our attentions."

It might also lose them support in the Republic that could be used against them later.

Sifo-Dyas went on, "There are always two Sith, or at least two. Perhaps he will lead us to more troubling foes."

Qui-Gon wasn't sure he could be troubled by anyone more than he was troubled by Sheev Palpatine. And then he asked, "What was the second worrisome thing you inferred about Rey?"

Sifo-Dyas rubbed his eyes, "This may seem far fetched, and we might not even have thought of it had we not been researching so much but-"

"Spit it out," Qui-Gon demanded, again his patience slipping. He wanted to pace, instead he held his ground, hands on his belt at his hips.

They had just told him their theory was that his Padawan's father was a Sith Lord they had recently risked all their lives to save.

"Rey shouldn't have been able to heal him if he was on the brink of death. She neither has the experience, nor should her energy have been enough and so easily transferable."

"She almost died."

"But she didn't, and he shouldn't have been well enough to talk, unless their powers were comparable. Unless they had some connection within the Force itself. It brings to mind the Sith lore on such things. The Rule of Two came out of the Sith pursuit of finding a dyad in the Force."

Qui-Gon blinked at the other long haired Jedi Master, "I'm sorry, a what in the Force?"

"A bond between two equals in the Force. Two individuals who form a bond and become one. The records are scant on it. But apparently when Darth Bane slaughtered his own people, leaving only one apprentice behind was in aims of finding an equal to gain unimaginable power in the Force with. The Rule of Two was an imperfect settlement for creating a dyad."

"Equals?" Qui-Gon asked, "Rey is so powerful that she might be the Chosen One, the one to bring balance to the Force. She _has_ brought balance to the Force!" His voice was rising, "When she exercised the Sith shades, she healed the Force, she brought the Dark and Light closer together. No one else could have done that, no one else would have known to try or have had the capacity of both heart and power to do that! And now you're telling me that _Sheev_ Palpatine might be her equal!? We don't even know if he is a Force sensitive much less a Sith Lord!"

"Perhaps Master Yoda was right to send you three on that mission," Master Dooku mused.

"What?" Qui-Gon snapped at him.

Dooku shook his head, "Padawan, your emotions betray you, your attachments. Do not let your love for your Padawans drive you to distraction. Do not fail them by holding on too tightly."

"Coming from you?" Qui-Gon seethed, "You who over the last twenty years has amassed your own personal collection of Sith artefacts?"

Dooku flinched.

"Didn't you think Mor would tell me? The Shadows kept an eye on you, against Yoda's orders, I might add. And perhaps it is well that they did. Rey's connection to the Dark Side might be unexplainable, but yours is not, _Master_. Your excuse is not physics."

Dooku stood, and Qui-Gon did not back down. Dooku was taller, but not by much.

"Breathe, Padawan mine, do not think with your feelings. You cannot help her with your fear and anger."

Qui-Gon took a breath, then another, letting his anger go to the Force, but his reasoning stayed the same, "You left the Order because you believed Yoda was wrong. That he had grown complacent with corruption. But you are not above corruption."

"No, my dear Qui-Gon, I am not, and neither are you. Perhaps I did dive too deep into the abyss, but where the Jedi grew complacent, the Sith were innovating until the bitter end.

"Every day, we are finding trails that maybe they never did end. Perhaps Sheev isn't a Sith Lord, perhaps Rey's connection to the Dark is merely a result of a Force sensitive being that powerful with no training. But if we do not ask these questions, if we do not explore the inexplicable simply because it offends our idea of the way the galaxy should be then we should admit defeat. We will destroy ourselves before our enemies have even lifted a hand against us."

Qui-Gon fought to control his breathing, finally he asked, "What do we do now? What do we do with this theorizing?"

Dooku smiled, "We play the game."

Qui-Gon couldn't smile back, "No, Master, we are not going to play his game, we are going to rig it."

Sifo-Dyas sighed, "Sometimes Dooku, I regret becoming friends with you."

Dooku turned back to his old friend, "Ah, but my dear Sifo-Dyas, your life would be so drab without me."

Sifo-Dyas scowled, "When we were Padawans, we used to explore the archives and read up on Sith prophecies with the encouragement of my Master while purposely ignoring every instruction your Master ever gave us."

Dooku nodded, "Yoda always was a fool."

Qui-Gon snorted.

Dooku turned back to him with a raised brow.

Qui-Gon shook his head, "Did you ever think that maybe Master Yoda told you not to do a thing because he knew you would do it anyway?"

Dooku scowled at him, but Sifo-Dyas laughed, "Sounds like our grandmaster."

* * *

Rey couldn't stand watching Obi-Wan pack. He had brought in two boxes before dinner and she had excused herself.

"I'll meet you down at the dining hall," he said as she went for the door.

"I'm going out into the city," she said on impulse.

"Above ground?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, above ground."

"Alright," he said, the door closing between them before he could say anything more.

Masters Plo Koon and Kit Fisto were returning from their own missions, so Obi-Wan's knighting ceremony had been postponed until tomorrow evening.

She was happy for him, she really was, but she dreaded having a room to herself as he would be moving out of the Padawan quarters.

He had even managed to get the room next to Master Jinn's which made her jealous.

She didn't think she would ever feel that way here, but in all the Temple, Master Jinn's room was her favourite, and while she would never see the Temple as her home, Obi-Wan was. Now she would be alone with the other Padawans who tolerated her at best.

Asajj and Aayla liked her well enough, but Aayla was almost never around and Asajj had been given her old Master's room in the Knight's quarters.

Rey shook her head, it would be fine, she could grow used to it. She pulled her comlink from her belt.

She heard it click over even if no one responded, "Maul?"

"Apprentice," his voice came across full of emotion, she couldn't tell if he was pleased or annoyed by her calling him.

"I'm back on Coruscant, I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me?"

"Where?"

Ah, a Zabrak of many words, she mused before saying, "Anywhere that isn't in the underworld, apparently Padawans aren't allowed."

"You were punished."

"No, I wasn't."

"Interesting," he drawled, before telling her where to meet him.

She needed to take a cab to get there, but it was worth getting away from the Temple.

* * *

Maul was pleased that Rey had contacted him, especially as it meant he didn't have to make up an excuse for following her around.

He was annoyed that she had been on the mission to 'save' his Master, his Master who had yet to contact him.

He feared this meant Sidious might contact him in person, and Maul knew that he had made enough changes to his own training that his Master would not fail to notice.

Of course, he had grown stronger in the Force, so perhaps Sidious would not be completely displeased with him.

Rey, as it turned out, noticed the changes right away.

He stiffened when she reached out to place a hand on his cheek. "Your eyes…"

Anyone else he would have wanted to fling away from himself, but as was the oddity between them, the Force passed between them like sunlight through glass. His eyes had changed from Sith yellow rimmed with red to his natural amber.

"Is something wrong with them?" he asked, dismissing the obvious change.

She pulled back, "No, I- they're clearer is all."

He said nothing, strangely pleased that she cared.

She broke the silence first, "Where are we eating?"

He turned and she followed. This was the first time he had seen her in person since Plagueis had gotten to him. His injuries had healed completely, and he now understood why she liked to channel the Light Side of the Force.

And how she could be so powerful without relying on the Dark.

He did not, however, understand why she chose to serve the Jedi.

The restaurant he had chosen was another preliminary non-human destination. As it was further from the Senate buildings and Temple, they were further removed from the watchful eyes of the news or media of any sort looking for gossip.

It was, however, more upscale. Their waiter didn't make them bargain for their meal at any rate.

"Where's your lightsaber?" he asked, he had brought his with him tonight.

She smirked, tapping at the metal staff she had placed beside her.

He had thought it just a replacement for her other one but…

"I still have it, but the Mandos made a Beskar staff out of it for me. The lightsaber beams extend from the vents."

He knew his face showed his surprise, "Mandalorians. _The_ Mandalorians made a weapon for a Jedi Padawan?"

She grinned, "Yes, the weapons master was Master Maas."

He shook his head, he had heard a rumour that there were Mandalorians on Kashyyyk at the same time she had been there, but he hadn't realized that he should have investigated the Mandalorians more thoroughly when he was tracking a Jedi.

Putting this issue aside, he asked, "How was your latest mission? It made headlines here, the Padawan who saved her Senator father."

She sighed, "It was horrid, actually." She looked away from him, reaching for a napkin to twist in her fingers.

"Oh?"

"I healed him and nearly killed myself in the process."

Maul froze.

She healed...

She had healed him?

Not rescued him on his own imposed kidnapping but had saved his life.

He could have strangled her.

Maybe he should have when they first met, maybe then Sidious would be dead now.

"Maul?"

He tried to breathe evenly, "Why?"

She narrowed hazel eyes at him, "What do you mean why? What do you care if I saved him or not?"

He fought not to snarl at her, "Why would you risk your life for one politician?" The words came out rough, because he had every right to be angry. She was messing with _his_ life. But he also knew that Jedi hated politicians, it was one thing his Master had delighted in even as he sometimes wooed them.

She shrugged, "He's my father."

"I didn't think family mattered to the Jedi."

"He doesn't."

"Then why save him?" he hissed.

She laughed.

He growled at her, full throated, the sound coming from deep within him. He did not like being laughed at.

She waved her hand, "I'm sorry, you just sounded like my friend, Asajj."

"Asajj?"

"Asajj Ventress. She is the Padawan of one of my Master's graduated Padawans. She's a Dathomirian Zabrak too."

He didn't know why that made him jealous. Was it because she spoke of another Dathomirian so warmly, or because she had called this Asajj her friend?

He shook himself, with Sidious's training he would have simply hated her on principle, with the Force's guidance, he was finding the breadth of his own emotions more complex. When his life was no longer in easy black and white boxes it seemed that everything was coloured in different hues.

He didn't like it.

The Force whispered to him, and he took a breath and then another before asking, "You and Asajj are close?"

"Not really," Rey said lightly, her gaze distant, "It's just, in some ways, our pasts are almost disturbingly similar. She's also the only other Jedi I know who wasn't raised at the Temple." Then she grinned, her gaze focusing back on him. Her face full of mischief, "She told me that female Dathomirian Zabraks were superior to the males."

He bared his teeth at her. He knew that is what the data files said on it, even Sidious had taunted him with that. "Only because the Nightsisters horde their knowledge about the Force."

"Sure it is, that's why they have a matriarchal society, right?" she taunted.

Again he growled, but he wasn't as furious as he thought he should be. He realized it was because she was joking with him. She wasn't trying to be mean or hurt him, she was just trying to poke fun at him.

It was different.

It was different because she had said _they_ as opposed to _he_, because she knew that despite them being his people, their culture was not his.

Their food came, giving him time to ponder this as Rey didn't speak while devouring her food.

There was nothing refined about the way she ate.

He liked that.

When they had finished, they walked along a bridge that was separated from the traffic. It was like walking between worlds, between the sky and its clouds, the traffic and its chaos, the buildings and their lights.

Rey was the oddest person he knew, and certainly the oddest Jedi he knew of.

She carried a Mandalorian weapon and had saved a Sith Lord.

She also enjoyed hanging out in the underworld and having dinner with Sith apprentices.

Darth Maul realized that she was either going to be the most fearsome being in the galaxy, or die because her Master was woefully unqualified to keep her safe.

Of course, if she became his apprentice then maybe he could ensure her fate turned out for the better.

Maul didn't know how he was going to take care of Plagueis, maybe once he was able to pull Rey fully into his confidence, he could pit the entire Jedi Order against the Muun.

Many Jedi would die; eventually, Darth Plagueis would fall. As long as he could keep himself and Rey out of it, the cards could fall wherever they liked.

As for Sidious...

Maul had faith that between him, Rey, and the Force, they could take him.

He was still infuriated though that all she had to do was let him die.

Not kill him.

Just let him die.

The Jedi were stupid.

"So," she asked, "any interesting bounties?"

"No, they all died too easily," he answered with real disappointment.

She laughed, "Alright, so have you done anything interesting since we last met?"

"I mastered Ataru."

She froze, halting in her steps, and he waited for her.

"Just like that?" she asked, "A few months-"

"It's been almost a year, apprentice," he corrected.

"A full year isn't long enough to Master a Form."

"Why? Is your Asajj not so gifted despite her superior gender?"

She frowned at him.

His lips curled, "I am a Master in Niman, apprentice, Niman draws from all of the first five Forms. Learning Ataru was not so difficult. You were right, about Form VI not suiting me. With a double sided blade, Ataru is a good match for my capabilities."

"I was thinking about your fighting style earlier today as it happens," she said, walking forward.

Satisfaction filled him

He was leading her toward a condemned building he had found. One of his bounties had been some serial killer and the buildings he had been keeping the bodies had been leaked to the press. No one wanted to buy the building. Not until the hysteria passed into legend.

"You wield a double sided lightsaber, don't you?"

"Are you asking to train with me?" he asked in turn, herding her toward his goals.

She hesitated, again, proving that she was not quite as naive as she acted.

Her Jedi Master should have fostered that thread of paranoia. But of course, it was to Maul's benefit that he hadn't.

"Alright," she decided, "I want to see if you've really _mastered_ Atura since we last met."

He wasn't sure who was more pleased, him or the Force.

"Right this way, Apprentice."

Another few minutes of walking and he took her inside the empty building. When they got to the upper floor the sun had set, but the room was still bright from the traffic lights.

She put her hands on her hips at her belt, "Well, let's see it, Dathomirian."

He bared his teeth at her, his saber coming easily to his hand.

This was his final risk, if they had taught her anything about the Sith, this and his eyes, changed or not, should have been enough for her to confirm to her precious Order of what he was and what danger he posed her.

His bent his knees, the saber ignited in his grasp.

She didn't run, instead she cocked her head and asked, "If blue means guardian and green means consular, and yellow is something in between. What does red mean?"

"Many Force sensitives who wield lightsabers outside of the Jedi Order choose red. There is even a Darksaber, essentially a black blade with a white outline," he said boldly.

"Neat," she said.

Maul in that moment channelled more of the Light than he had since that first true exposure to it, hope for winning her, hope that with her by his side they could be freed of those who kept them in bondage, those who lied to them.

He would teach her the ways of the Force, and they would be unstoppable.

His motions in Ataru were perfect, his every movement flowing into the next. When he finished, Rey was staring at him open mouthed.

He beckoned her forward, and she pulled her staff from her back, the clips woven into a sash she wore as opposed to the strap being attached to her staff like the old one.

She ignited it.

It was the same length as his saber. The blade was thicker as it wasn't a single beam on either side but several coalescing blades that emerged from the vents she had pointed out to him earlier. The centre handhold was tad longer than his and bit thinner, just as her original saber had been. But as they were the same height he could train her with very few adjustments, unlike the dozens of changes Darth Sidious had had to implement for him.

He began the steps again, and she mirrored him.

Something in the Force connected between them, and they moved as one.

* * *

Obi-Wan was beginning to grow nervous when Rey didn't return by the time they usually were in bed.

By midnight he was ready to wake Qui-Gon and go searching.

He was half way to pulling his boots on when she walked in.

"Rey," he said with a sigh of relief.

She quirked a brow at him, she looked like she had been training and he tried to remember if she had looked like before or after she went out.

He knew she had been training with Mor and Asajj today because Master Ali-Alann had stopped by to tell Qui-Gon of his prodigies 'training exercise.'

Qui-Gon had offered the man tea and Obi-Wan got to catch up with the initiate care-giver that he had shared a few adventures with.

Namely that one time Xanatos had infiltrated the Temple and almost killed a lift of younglings under Ali-Alann's care.

"Where were you?" Obi-Wan asked.

She frowned at him, something like hurt in her eyes. Her words were clipped as she said, "I have friends too, you know," before going to the refresher and closing the door between them.

He heard the shower turn on. He sat back down trying to think of what had upset her.

And she was definitely upset, and through their bond, he could tell she was upset with him.

Was it because she hadn't been included in the mission debriefing? It had been a short debriefing as the Council already knew everything, and Yoda wanted to speak with him privately tomorrow morning, even as Qui-Gon had gone into greater depths with Masters Dooku and Sifo-Dyas.

She hadn't missed anything, not really.

Had she been mad at him before she left for dinner?

He waited for her, he would get to the bottom of this even if he was beyond ready to get some sleep in his own bed.

He looked at her bed, the box he set out for her remained empty.

Was she _that_ mad at him?

Why?

Eventually, after the longest shower he could ever remember her taking, she emerged in one of his extra robes that was now hers, a towel over her head.

She didn't look at him.

"Rey?"

"What, Obi-Wan?" she asked without looking at him as she folded her clothes away.

"Did something happen tonight?"

"No."

"Really?"

"I stayed out of the underworld, as you told me."

He leaned back, she was _that_ mad at him it would seem. He joked, "You sure? No giant space monsters or disgruntled politicians? Any Sith encounters?"

"No, I just had dinner with Maul. We went for a walk after, we saw more of the city. We're friends."

Obi-Wan sat forward, setting the jokes aside, "Alright, I give, what did I do?"

She finally turned to look at him, "What do you mean, do?"

"You're mad at me."

She flushed, "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I'm being-" she shook her head, "I'm sorry, it isn't your fault."

"What isn't my fault?"

"I'm happy for you."

Now he was confused, "Would you mind being a bit more specific?"

She sat down on her bed heavily. "I'm upset because you are moving out and I'm jealous that you will be closer to Master Jinn."

He grinned, "Well, if that's all-"

"I'm sorry," she covered her face, "I know I should let-"

He crossed the room, pulling her hands from her face, "Rey, I'm not moving without you. I brought a second box for your things too. I got the room next to Qui-Gon's because I know it's your favourite place to meditate. We want you to feel at home at the Temple, we know you well enough that I wasn't going to leave you in the Padawan halls by yourself."

She stood and wrapped him in a near bone crushing hug.

He hugged her back, "Have a little more faith in me than that."

She hugged him tighter, "Thank you."

He would have been pleased to make her this happy, but he knew this was just another sign of how much she feared being alone in the Temple.

He couldn't even tell her it was in her head.

The Jedi Shadows had been returning to Coruscant, and each and every one of them had confirmed that all was not well with the home of the Jedi.

oOo

Obi-Wan left Rey early in the morning, so he could meet with Master Yoda in his meditation room.

"Sit, Padawan, much to discuss have we."

Obi-Wan sat across from the grandmaster, he couldn't help but smile.

Yoda tilted his long eared head at him, "Happy you are."

"I just, well, you were the only one to believe in me in the beginning. You knew Qui-Gon would choose me before even Qui-Gon. Now I feel as if we have come full circle."

"Hmm, long has your journey, longer still will your journey be. Certain I was, always that you would be a Jedi Knight, not so certain were even you."

Obi-Wan nodded, the times he had wavered from the path lay between them, unspoken but acknowledged.

Yoda nodded, perhaps reading his thoughts, perhaps simply knowing what Obi-Wan would be reflecting on today. "Yet to the Dark never strayed have you. Rare this is. Anger and fear, have you overcome, fear and sorrow will you overcome again. Yet immune to the Dark you are not. Tell me of Bandomeer now, shall you. How died your Padawan nearly did?"

His heart constricted at that, the image of Rey listless in Qui-Gon's arms coming to his mind. He didn't fight the image, he let his feelings go to the Force.

He was safe here, Rey was safe, and sitting before Yoda as he was, no emotion hidden or felt went unnoticed.

"Yes, fear, sorrow, _hatred_. Feel you do that Sheev Palpatine should have died, that wrong your Padawan was to save him."

"Our job was to rescue him, not heal him."

"Hmm… but rescue him she did."

"It wasn't worth the cost. His life wasn't worth hers."

"Oh? Know you, the worth of each life?"

"In this case, yes. After what he did to her."

"Know a man's history, you will not always know. Value will you, the lives of the people we protect over the lives of your future Padawan?"

Obi-Wan frowned, "The Jedi are not martyrs. We do the best we can to the best of our abilities, sometimes at the cost of our own lives, but not directly in those terms. Each situation is unique. Our jobs necessitate that we risk our lives, that we do what we must, accepting that death is a possibility, but we only have one life to give. And Padawans are their Masters responsibilities, a Padawan should never give up their lives when other options are available. If a sacrifice is absolutely necessary, then it is the Master's life that should be on the line."

Master Yoda nodded, "Not always possible, is this, but yes, the Master's responsibility, it is. Heal her father, she should not have. Fail Padawan Palpatine, did your Master Jinn?"

He shook his head, "Perhaps we did fail her, we should have been more clear about healing."

"Much does Padawan Palpatine have to learn and also do the Masters. One sided the Master and Padawan bond, is not."

Obi-Wan bowed his head, "Yes, Master Yoda."

"At thirteen, certain on Bandomeer you were. Certain now are you?"

Obi-Wan smiled, knowing exactly what Yoda was getting at, "I spoke with Duchess Satine when we were still on Naboo."

"Love, strayed you from your goals, not out of hate or fear, but because of your heart, did you almost leave us."

"Things are different now, I wouldn't have to choose."

Yoda shook his head, "Lie you know this is. A choice will there always be, harder is this path to walk with a family."

Obi-Wan bowed his head again, "I told her as much. Maybe one day my heart will lead me astray again, but I am a Jedi. I will always be a Jedi, and I know now that I could never be true to myself with a family who doesn't understand that. I serve the Force."

"Proud of you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, I am."

Obi-Wan felt his heart fill, direct praise from Master Yoda was rare, and meant more for its rarity.

"A time of great change is this, but great also will you become. Easy it will not be. Change is never easy, great change is never peaceful, but the great deeds of a great many may lead to peace. Meditate on this you shall."

"Thank you, Master Yoda, thank you for it all."

Master Yoda stood and Obi-Wan sat down on the floor beside the small Master as he had done when he had been even smaller.

Yoda touched his knee, the Force at peace between them.

"Proud I am, Obi-Wan, proud I am."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and let out a long breath, connecting with the Force.

He didn't notice when Master Yoda had left because, in his mind, Yoda hadn't left him. They were both one with the Force, and the Force was with them.

oOo

The day passed and Mor broke him from his meditation.

Mor smiled at him, his eyes haunted but free of remorse, "Funny, isn't it? That once he is no longer your Master, all Qui-Gon's teachings feel like lifelines. This meditation was hard for me to leave as well."

Obi-Wan stood, his joints stretching out gratefully as they walked. "I've wanted my whole life to be a knight, now a part of me wants things never to change from this moment."

Mor nodded, "Don't linger too long in the past, do not look too far into the future, you have only this moment to live, Padawan."

They laughed. Whatever the faults or missteps of their maverick Master, they knew they were blessed to have him.

Mor bowed to him at the door to the Hall of Knighthood, and Obi-Wan bowed back before entering the darkened room.

He stood in the centre of the circle of Masters, their presences shining in the Force so, despite the blackness that met his eyes, he did not feel as if they were truly in the Dark.

The lightsabers of twelve Council members and that of his Master's green lighted saber ignited, chasing back the darkness. All were hooded, except for Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon who stood in the central point, six Council members to either side of him. It was Grand Master Yoda's rightful position, but Obi-Wan was not surprised that they had altered the ceremony as he went to his knees before Qui-Gon.

His Master smiled at him, "By the right of the Jedi Order, by the will of the Force, I dub thee Jedi, Knight of the Living Force. May you serve ever with compassion and honour, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan grinned even as several of the other Masters let out heavy sighs or soft groans, he was pretty sure he heard Master Dooku chuckle at Qui-Gon's impromptu alterations on the millennia's worth of sacred traditions.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, forever the maverick.

Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi could not have been happier.

* * *

AN: Thank you reviewers! I am feeling the love, hope these posted chapters prove how grateful I am to you. Every bit of feedback helps motivate me and informs my betterment as a writer. Stay safe everyone!


	21. The Carrion Crow

Warning: I kind of eeked myself out here, not in detail, but conceptually… but next chapter is happy. I just don't half ass my Star Wars villains. Sidious and Plagueis are evil.

* * *

KEYnotes: Rey never asked about red sabers before despite seeing them in visions. She is still wary of Maul. Also, that was the third time they've met and she does not know he was tracking her movements. His seeing her in the news is expected as Sheev is a senator. And Maul **will NOT **have a dyad with Rey.

* * *

Chapter 21 - The Carrion Crow

There was a tradition on Naboo, whatever wished to be called, whether their birth name, surname, nickname, or own imagined name then that was what the person was to be called.

So being called _Sheev_ was something of new development.

A development brought about by the recent confusion of _Rey_ Palpatine consuming the media.

His child who he had unknowingly sired and who he had been punished for.

Sidious would admit, his handling of his Master's belittlement had not been prudent, but that didn't mean the whatever trust his Master had forged between them hadn't been broken.

And he was now more convinced than ever that his Master had other plans, was possibly training others, the Muun's experiments growing bolder and bolder.

Experimentation at the risk of exposing the Sith.

But perhaps that didn't matter as much as it once had, he thought as he sat down in his study in his largest estate to look over recent events.

The Jedi had been active.

More than active, the plans he and Plagueis had painstakingly laid in place had been overturned almost entirely.

The Jedi were doing their normal damage management of promoting temporary peace between the Republic's disasters, but now they had put their hands in the Senate.

Where the Jedi had scorned all dabbling in the political arena, now Sidious was finding story after story of Senator after Senator, minor governors, and even small planets populated of unremarkable species turning to the Jedi.

Turning to the Jedi not for a hired saber to slice through their problems but to the scholars among them. The Jedi archives, which were closed to the public, seemed to have a back door. Master Jedi names fell down in lists with the names of Senators who had looked to ground their motions in history and past deeds.

Civilisation seemed to be growing with an unprecedented increase.

This had been happening before Sidious's disappearance, but now it was all coming to fruition with disturbing speed.

He had criticized the Jedi for not taking leadership of the galaxy when they had the power to do so. Now it seemed that they were more than willing to take control, more so than he had ever believed. But not with the power the Force granted them but with the weight of centuries of hoarded knowledge and histories.

Well respected, their influence was overtaking the fear and chaos Plagueis and he had been orchestrating across the galaxy for decades.

At the heart of the trouble: Council member and Count of Serreno, Master Dooku.

The man would have made an admirable Sith, his techniques were ruthless and he wasted no action -great or small. He always acted at the precise moment to effect the most damage or change. He debilitated his foes with cold logic. And instead of uniting the Separatist movement against the Republic, he and the Jedi Order had facilitated the easing of the Republics hold on them. While at the same time, bringing other voices that had been hushed under the weight of their debts to the Trade Federation and Banking Clan to the front, or simply those voices who lacked the economic importance to be heard.

Dooku had also made the choice to align the Outer Rim planet of Serreno into the fold of the Republic, meaning that though he was certainly a voice for the Jedi, he represented a political voice of an entire planet. He was probably the first Jedi in memorable history that had represented both his own interests and the Order's goals.

No wonder Plagueis had tortured Sidious with such zeal, such rage.

He suddenly considered himself lucky to be alive.

And perhaps Plagueis had truly intended his death, if not for his daughter…

Sidious stood, pacing, he couldn't understand what had gone wrong with her. It was as though she knew him and was furious for his inability to remember her, when he _knew_ he had never met her before.

And to his frustration, she was such a powerful Force sensitive; so emotional, so young, so ripe for the taking, but all that emotion seemed to be directed at him.

He checked with his sources about the development of his droid armies.

He nearly shattered the screens, the manufacturing had all but stopped.

It took him several minutes to access information about the Kamino clones, which too had halted.

Sifo-Dyas had contacted the cloners and the Jedi had stated in no uncertain terms that an army of clones would violate the Republic's sovereignty. The Damask holding account had been frozen.

Sidious hissed, what had Plagueis been playing at?

A year and some months had undone all their progress. Their plan was nothing now. Somehow the Jedi had managed to adapt, change.

Sidious switched to every news story he could find on Rey Palpatine, the child who had incited this change, the girl who had killed the Sith shades, who had saved his life, who-

His motions stopped.

She had saved his life.

He scowled, thinking back to the suspended time on Bandomeer. She had healed him, given him her essence.

He let himself feel his own presence in the Force. He was unchanged, but something _had _changed.

He hadn't let himself explore his thoughts on the matter too closely while the Jedi were still on Naboo, Rey's overprotective Master and fellow Padawan had been on high alert and he hadn't wanted to risk alerting them in slightest by lowering his shields.

But now, he allowed himself to review it all.

She had been his equal, hardly trained, a tornado on a tether.

Her energy had poured to him so easily, and when she had thought to pull back, he had pulled from her.

In the process, revealing both the weakness of the Light and their connection.

He couldn't have pulled that power from Maul, not without a fight, but from Rey, it had been like drinking fine liquor. And the Light had not warned her of her danger, the Force wanting them to join, not caring if she died.

He needed her. She was a part of him, his other half. Had Jinn not stopped him, then he would have bonded them together as a true dyad in the Force.

The Rule of Two was a poor substitute, a way to search for one's equal.

Darth Plagueis was too much for Darth Sidious to take on, his knowledge exceeded his capabilities, but if he had his daughter, if they became a dyad then no one, _no one_ would be able to stand against them.

He would have ultimate power in the galaxy, the Jedi Order would fall to its knees.

So what if the Grand Plan had fallen through.

The problem and the solution lied in her closeness to the Jedi High Council. Quite clearly, the Order, the High Council in particular, was protective of the girl, but her closeness to them could be their downfall.

If she turned, she would be in the perfect position to kill Yoda, Windu, and Dooku.

Yoda's murder would topple the Order into chaos, if Windu died, precious few would be able to pick up the pieces after Yoda's demise. And finally, if Dooku died, all the rapid change he had invented in the Republic would crumble.

United, Sidious and Rey - _Darth Carrion_, all would fall before them. He would be Emperor and she would be his Carrion crow who feasted on the corpses of all who opposed him. His little scavenger.

He would break her, then refashion her in his image.

His mind was whirling with plots and threads he would need to pull into place when a message came through on his screen. Taking a moment to re-adjust his thoughts, he allowed the call from the Queen through.

"Padme, my dear, I was beginning to worry you had forgotten about me," he greeted with false fondness in his voice. The traitorous bitch and her gaggle of frivolous handmaidens had aligned themselves, aligned Naboo, solidly into the palm of the Jedi.

"This is not a social call, Sheev Palpatine," she said in the most toneless voice he had ever had the displeasure of hearing.

He knew droids who had expressed more personalities in a series of beeps.

"By all means," he said with charm, "I would hate to waste your time, and I am as eager to get back to work myself. I apologize that my unforeseen absence must have caused you a great deal of difficulty."

"Your absence was an unforeseen benefit. Senator Sabe has been able to get a great deal done without your-" and here a line of emotion spilled into her voice, "interference."

He would have gaped at her if his expression had not frozen. He replayed the words in his head. He couldn't have heard her correctly, "My Queen, surely-"

She spoke over him, "As such, you shall not be reinstated as Senator of Naboo, Sabe has finished the orientation and is far more suited to the current direction the Republic is taking."

He blinked.

He wasn't angry.

He was so furious it translated to a cold rage.

His voice was artic when he remarked, "Was that all, Amidala?"

"No, Sheev," she said.

Had they been in person, he would have snapped her neck, consequences be damned.

He barely heard her next words, his ears felt as if they were ringing, "You have been requested at court on the 28th. You have been called as a possible suspect in your family's murder as recent information on your family's demise has been unearthed. I am to inform you that you are no longer permitted to travel off Naboo until after the judge has reached a verdict, leave and you will be found guilty. It will be an open trial in Theed, so I would suggest you contact your lawyers."

Through gritted teeth, he said, "What a _kind_ suggestion."

"Not kindness. I was legally obligated to tell you that," she said, before she hung up on the hologram on him.

He let out a full throated scream.

He had to fight himself to keep from destroying the room with the Force.

In one fell swoop, he had lost Naboo and now he faced the prospect of a public trial.

Queen Padme Amidala would pay for this. For her insolence.

So would Naboo. This was no longer his home, if his people wanted to turn on him then he would annihilate them.

Just as he had done to his family.

oOo

In the end, Sidious was forced to contact his Master.

"The evidence was destroyed, apprentice."

"Apparently, something slipped," Sidious countered.

"What exactly?" the Muun asked.

"They know I was on the ship. They know also that it was a slaughter."

"You said nothing?"

"I did as you told me," Sidious hissed.

"How will you handle this?"

"Was this your test?"

The Muun sighed through his mask, "You didn't kill the guards quick enough. A call for help was intercepted before my people could clean up your mess. The guard said only that they were under attack and that Consigna Palpatine and his son were being assaulted."

"I didn't know this," Sidious said, trepidation filling him.

The courts would know in fact that he had been on the ship.

"Perhaps you should have double checked the official records then," Plagueis taunted over the hologram.

Sidious felt like snarling as his own apprentice would have, "You paid people off to not investigate further into this, didn't you?"

"Of course."

"Do they have enough evidence to prosecute me?"

"If you cannot spin a convincing tale, then I suppose so."

"Do you want me to fail?"

"I want you to prove yourself worthy of being a Sith, Sidious. I had thought you would die when I gave you to the Bounty Hunter Cad Bane, but if you survived, if you were strong enough, then you might be worth something after all. But I hear you were saved by not your own powers, but that you owe your life to a Jedi."

"My daughter is one of us."

The Muun turned his head, "You have foreseen this?"

Sidious didn't have to call up the image of his daughter cloaked in black, a double sided saber not unlike Maul's in her hand. Her dark eyes pitiless, her teeth morphed into sharpened points, a physical manifestation of the mass amount of the Dark Side she could wield.

"Darth Carrion will be one of us," he said with finality.

"Interesting. The scavenger from a Tatooine becomes your carrion crow. It will take decades to convert then train her."

"The Grand Plan is finished, when you pulled me out of the Senate, you let it all fall to ruin."

"Your crow has caused more damage than you realize," Plagueis said in turn, "We should have killed Qui-Gon Jinn. But it is too late for that now, his death would only draw attention to us.

"The Jedi are changing things too fast. We will use it to our benefit, apprentice, once you regain your seat in the Senate you will help me finish what the Jedi have started. I have already begun changing who the IBC supports. The Jedi may be bringing systems together, even changing the very nature of the Separatist movement, but they are also alienating others. This galaxy still runs on greed and fear.

"And the Jedi are now spreading fear among even the Outer Rim. And it isn't the simple minded they terrify, but the powerful."

Sidious nodded, "When I convert my daughter, she will do the same to the Jedi Order."

"Excellent. I trust that you do not need my aid in your trial?"

"No, not if you're sure they only know that I was on the ship and survived a horrific attack."

"My word."

"Then no, this is merely a hassle."

"It will taint your name. Possibly damage your popularity as the Senator of Naboo."

"I have been informed that I will no longer be reinstated as the Senator of Naboo."

Plagueis's eyes narrowed, "Then how will you be of use to me on Coruscant, apprentice?"

"Because I reached out to another planet in the Outer Rim that is wealthy enough to represent in the Senate but unstable enough to not have a significant political footprint."

"Which your own connections will substitute, benefiting them at next to no cost. What planet have you chosen?"

"Telos."

Plagueis paused for a moment, thinking through the name before he laughed, "Not a poor choice, but you lack subtlety."

"Jinn and I will never be friends. And one way or another, I will ensure that he will lose another apprentice."

"I do hope you overcome, Darth Sidious, I put far too much work into you to have you fail now."

The call disconnected and Sidious sneered at the empty space where his 'Master' had been.

* * *

It took Darth Maul nearly half an hour to get around all the cameras installed on Darth Sidious's estate.

When he finally got in through his Master's bedroom through to the study, Sidious was furious.

He hadn't expected otherwise. Maul had watched the coverage of his Master's trial on Theed.

His Master had spun a pretty tale, one of trauma and unspeakable gore, of a family foe who had stowed aboard, and 'in self defence' poor little seventeen year old Palpatine had been forced to defend himself.

He hadn't spoken of the incident because the 'horror' of it had filled him with too much 'sorrow'.

The judge had granted him a pass on there not being enough evidence to convict him.

Maul had then watched the subsequent news pundits go wild on Coruscant with some amusement.

Humiliation wasn't only found in physical torture.

"What took you so long?"

Maul bared his teeth, "Your estate is under surveillance."

"What?"

"Your estate is under surveillance," he repeated lazily.

"They can't do that!"

Maul wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare. It was rare to see his Master so unsettled. Unasked, Maul went to the man's computers and began running scans. "They have your transmissions logged, so they know how long you spoke with the IBC, the Queen, and the Trade Federation, as well as several transmissions to Telos and Coruscant, but not to who exactly."

Sidious cursed, "What else do they know?"

Maul said nothing as he scanned through files and data codes, "Nothing, only incoming and outgoing calls. But I would have your droids checked or get them replaced entirely."

"Is the interior of the estate-"

Maul shook his head, knowing Naboo's legal system almost as well as his Master did, "I doubt it, the surveillance is one thing considering your 'abduction', the tracked calls could be written off as hackers but internal bugs could get someone a life sentence."

Sidious paced, and Maul let himself be happy about his Master's irritation.

The Force was chuckling at Maul's shoulder.

Sidious came to an abrupt stop, and swung around to face him.

Maul brought his shields in tight around himself.

"Something about you has… altered, my apprentice," he said threateningly, his eyes narrowing on him.

Maul didn't move, not letting his thoughts stray on even hoping his Master didn't realize he was wearing contact lenses, ones he had specially made after Rey had pointed out that his eyes had returned to their natural colour.

"Have you had any success tracking my daughter?" Sidious asked finally.

"I've been training her at least one night a week when she is on Coruscant."

Maul was pleased by his Master's obvious shock.

"You've been training her in the Dark Side? Has she succumbed so easily?"

Maul sighed, shifting his gaze to one of the art pieces on the wall. Sidious liked it when people admired or envied his art.

Maul didn't give a shit about the man's art, especially not this minimalistic garbage, but not meeting his Master's gaze made it easier to keep his thoughts his own.

"She has a tendency to laugh at my teachings. But she can be highly emotional, and the Dark calls to her. Of late, she has been channelling both without realizing it."

Maul heard the sneer in his Master's voice, "And what, if not the teachings of the Dark Side, have you been doing with my daughter?"

A thrill went through Maul at the implication, he kept his gaze on the half morphed sculpture.

Sidious would of course hate the mere idea that any descendant of his would have any sort of carnal interest in a Zabrak.

Racist bastard.

But Rey was the most monkish person he knew. He had been convinced that she was in love with her Obi-Wan, until he learned they shared a room and that they were somehow related.

The woman was oblivious to any sexual or romantic overtures that anyone paid her when they walked the streets together or ventured below ground.

"Answer me, apprentice," Sidious commanded.

"I've been teaching her Ataru. She uses a double bladed staff and I'm the closest person to her that has a double bladed lightsaber."

Sidious cocked his head, "She knows you have a red lightsaber."

"Yes," he said, not elberating on it being an actaul staff as well as a saber.

"She knows you are a Dark Sider."

"Yes."

"That you are Sith."

"No, and before you ask, no. Her Masters seemed to have forgotten to explain to her that red light sabers are 'bad' and that only a fallen Jedi or Sith would use a lightsaber. I think she is under the impression that the Jedi are not the only major sect of powerful Force sensitives in the galaxy."

Sidious was quiet for a long moment, "That is convenient."

Maul said nothing. It was convenient. He also knew that if the majority of the Jedi didn't make her feel like such an outsider, he wouldn't have that opportunity to teach her.

"Does she trust you?"

"A little more each time we meet."

"So fool enough to be alone with you, yet not foolish enough to trust you completely?"

Again, Maul said nothing.

"Answer me."

"She isn't a fool, she could kill me if she wanted to. The Force speaks to her. She would know the moment I tried, know if I truly planned to turn on her."

"Such faith you have in this?"

Maul sighed, "If I truly wished to kill her, I could find a way."

"But she is stronger than you."

"Yes."

"Does that not make you jealous?"

The Force hummed around him, and Maul felt the Force's anger at the Sith, at the beings that tried to rest control from it.

Maul bared his teeth, "It is not in my power to become what she is."

He felt the back hand coming, and he let himself be hit, let the blow drive him to the ground.

The Force swirled around him like a concerned friend.

He hushed it, burying his connection to it lest Sidious discover that his core nature was changing.

He abased himself before his false Master.

"She will never be ours unless you lead with example."

Maul kept his gaze on the thick rug, "How do I do that without chasing her away?"

"Make her fear the Jedi."

"How?"

Sidious was quiet for so long that Maul chanced a glance up at him.

His Master was smiling down at him.

"When she comes to you for help, apprentice, lead her to the Dark."

oOo

On his way back to Coruscant, Maul received a call from one Hego Damask.

Maul bowed deeply to Darth Plagueis.

"Report," the Sith ordered him.

Maul told him everything that had transpired.

"Sidious seems confident that he can sway her."

Maul did not answer the absent question, his own fear a metallic taste on his tongue.

"He calls her Darth Carrion, do you think she could become one of us, Darth Maul?"

Maul restrained his flinch, both at Plagueis using his title and the idea of Rey being a scavenger bird.

She was more than that. How dare Sidious name her before she even considered joining them. He would not allow her to become either of these lords' pets.

"If she became a Sith, she would be formidable."

"Would she be loyal? Sidious is attached to the idea of the Rule of Two, but I am not."

Maul considered it, realizing that it didn't matter if she could be turned or not, he had only one answer to give if he wanted her to live.

"She would not betray us if she became one of ours," he said with absolute conviction.

"Then continue to earn her trust. Be her friend, her confidant. Leave breaking her to Sidious and me."

"Yes, my Lord."

The Muun signed off and Maul slumped into his seat.

He hated the Sith.

The Force growled its agreement.

* * *

On wings of ebony black, she soared amongst the dense foliage.

She flapped harder despite the wind holding her aloft in the sky.

The leaves on the trees began to shutter, shimmering like bells caught in a breeze. Soon the sound was like rain, or like thousands of stones trembling down a bank.

She beat her wings harder. Fear entered her racing heart.

She opened her beak to shriek a warning.

Her dry caw didn't rise above the shrieking of the wind.

She turned her black head to look up at the sky.

The cobalt blue was being eaten away by grey storm clouds. So dense and rolling she knew lightning would follow soon, even as thunder cracked against her senses.

She reached for the Force.

Her wings caught against a mighty gust. Fear overtook her every thought as her strength failed her. Wings snapped shut close to her body she was plunged into a dive as if she had been shot from the sky.

She reached again for the Force.

It didn't come.

But she knew it was there, so she didn't ask, she grabbed hold of it, pulling on its strength to give her a chance a surviving.

She cawed wildly as at the last moment, she was able to unpin her wings. She swooped back up, the ground brushing her clawed feet. And even as she flew back into the storm, she struggled to hold onto the Force.

The Force had always been with her, but now she had to grapple with it, like holding onto a metal linked chain left out in the sun all day.

Burning hot, heavy, and unforgiving.

_Take it,_ a familiar voice whispered to her, _take it all, the pain, the power. To hold it you need both._

A bolt of lightning nearly hit her. Her wings flapping frantically, she lost a few feathers.

She watched them fall as her strength left her again.

She cawed, wondering if she had words to be heard with, wondering if there would be anyone to catch her when she fell.

_Take hold of the Force!_

She tried, but if she wasn't strong enough to keep flying, how could she dream of fighting the Force?

This time when she fell, she was pulled upward.

She was a rag doll in the wind.

Spun round and round, she was so dizzy that when the wind let her go, that when she hit the ground, she welcomed the pain.

_So weak…_ that voice called to her sweetly, _eat, child, eat._

She breathed in deeply, the smell of raw meat filled her nostrils. A part of her knew it shouldn't smell good, but she was hungry.

_Scavenger._

She flinched, but tore at the strips of meat.

_Carrion Crow, my sweet, little Carrion Crow._

Whose voice was that?

She knew that voice. But how could she know that voice when she didn't even know herself.

She tore at another piece of bloody muscle.

The meat hadn't been dead long. Still warm.

She had the oddest sensation.

_I'm not a bird. Where are my teeth?_

She stopped eating, coming to stand on a pair of human feet.

She was dressed in robes as black as her feathers had been.

The blood tasted foul on her human tongue. She wiped the back of her hand across her bloodied lips.

She stared down at her hands, trying to recall how she had gotten here.

Trying to remember who she was.

_Darth Carrion._

She looked up, searching for the speaker of that voice.

Instead, she saw the corpse from which her feathered self had been eating.

Blue-green eyes stared sightlessly at her, a look of sorrow and betrayal frozen on his face.

Rey screamed.

She could forget everything else, but she would always know him.

* * *

Qui-Gon was supremely glad that Obi-Wan had managed to get the room next to his, because when he felt the bond between himself and Rey go quiet, it took him mere moments to get to her side.

Obi-Wan was trying to shake her awake.

"I can't feel her!"

"It's an attack," Qui-Gon said, kneeling by Obi-Wan's side.

To say it was difficult to cut off another Force sensitive from the Force from a distance was a supreme understatement.

But after a few more moments, Rey remaining trapped in her nightmare, he realized that she wasn't being cut off by an outside power. She was doing it herself.

"I am beginning to hate her visions," Qui-Gon said in a low tone, "Obi-Wan go get Sifo-Dyas. Hurry."

Obi-Wan sprinted from the room.

Qui-Gon focused on their bond, he drew on the Force and tried to send warmth and light through their connection.

"Come on, Padawan, it isn't necessary to give me quite so many heart attacks," he told her, knowing that his tone was more important than his words.

Sifo-Dyas came into the room a few steps behind Obi-Wan.

"We can't wake her," he told the man as Sifo-Dyas called on the Force.

Qui-Gon realized then just how powerful his Master's best friend was. He often didn't flaunt it, his strengths were neither in telekinesis or in lightsaber duelling. He touched fingers to Rey's forehead breaking through whatever trance she had trapped herself in.

She came up gasping for air, her eyes were completely dilated as if she were under the influence of some sort of drug.

"Shhhh, child," Sifo-Dyas hushed her as Qui-Gon rubbed her back. "It was just a nightmare."

Qui-Gon couldn't tell if she had heard him or not.

She was panting, but she finally seemed to regain control of her senses, her dilated gaze acknowledging.

But when she saw Obi-Wan who had knelt back by her bed, her expression changed and she screamed.

Qui-Gon saw something die in Obi-Wan's expression, at the fear he had somehow incited within her.

Rey covered her face with her hands and began to cry in earnest.

Qui-Gon was left deeply disturbed, and though by morning, she allowed Obi-Wan to touch her shoulder, she refused to tell them what her nightmare had been about.

Leaving Qui-Gon to wonder what was the nature of the vision, and worrying more because it was the first wedge he had ever glimpsed of coming between Rey and Obi-Wan.

The Master was almost certain by the second week, in which Rey had another vision and refused to discuss it, that this was much more than a recurring nightmare.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, pretty please? Next chapter is happier, I swear, everyone stay safe. Warm thank yous to the wonderful reviewers, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you.


	22. A Change of Guard

Updates: _Return of the Father_ is a lighter story I'm dabbling in because I missed Luke. My goal is to update _The Queen Does Not Need to Know_ weekly on Thursdays and I can't thank the reviewers enough for your support. You're my patrons.

* * *

Timeline: Part I of this story time travels Rey in early 32 BBY, months before the start of the Phantom Menace, this chapter ends nearly four years later in late 29 BBY.

* * *

"They'll stall you," Organa said. "I know it's a horrifying situation, but you can't fight every evil in the galaxy."

"Evil?" Padme said. "I've fought evil and it was easy: I shot it. It's apathy I can't stand."

"You may be in the wrong profession."

_~The Queen's Shadow, E.K. Johnston_

* * *

Chapter 22 - A Change of Guard

"So he wasn't prosecuted?" Rey asked.

Only a few months had passed and Senator Palpatine had been seen on Coruscant. Ever backed by the IBC, Sheev Palpatine had managed to land on his feet despite it all.

"He's representing the planet of Telos," Padme said.

Master Jinn spit his tea. Putting a napkin to his mouth. he asked, "Pardon me, but what?"

"He's the new Senator of Telos, they are of course honoured, while he might have lost most of Naboo and some allies, his other alliances are coming to light, much to Telos's benefit and our horror. He has connections with the _InterGalactic Trading Federation_ chief among them. He also resurrected some mining company that has been near destitute for decades."

Master Jinn squared her with a look, "Off World Corporation."

The Queen looked at him, "How did you know?"

He stood with a curse.

"Master Jinn, are you alright?" Rey asked.

He shook his head, "Xanatos, my fallen Padawan, that was his homeworld, that was his corporation. He had to have known, it cannot be a coincidence."

"Does it matter?" Rey asked. "I mean it's insulting, but does it affect us truly?"

"It might," Padme said, "Telos is small, and does not have a large foothold here in the Galactic Senate, but it is wealthy and fairly well known. Senator Palpatine has not lost all his allies. And Off World was an aggressive mining company when it was active, if properly spurred to productivity again, Sheev could implement a great many problems for the Republic throughout the galaxy."

Master Jinn pinched the bridge of his nose, "Padawan mine, I hate your father."

Rey raised her chin, "As Master Yoda would say, hate leads to the Dark Side."

He dropped his hand to give her a look.

She grinned.

He sighed, "I had hoped you would allow me to get away without the near constant quoting of doctrine now that Obi-Wan has graduated."

She shook her head, "I'm a product of both your teachings, I'm afraid. Also Master Yoda has just been teaching me to talk in riddles."

He scowled at her, "I'm the Master here, I have the paramount claim on philosophical phrasing of the inane."

"Whatever you say, Master."

Padme was smiling at them both, "Where is Obi-Wan?"

"Master Yoda assigned him on a mission with Master Mor and Asajj. Apparently, in need of positive influences, is Padawan Ventress."

"Will you both be assigned a mission soon?" she asked.

"Always possible," Master Jinn said, going to the stove for the kettle. "But Dooku wants me around to plot against the Senate while your lot is in recess."

Padme rolled her eyes, apparently in on the Jedi's opinion of politicians.

"And Master Yoda has extended my 'punishment' indefinitely," Rey added with a smile. "And by the by, I have money on who Obi-Wan is going to choose as a Padawan."

Padme tilted her head, "I thought the Jedi don't gamble?"

"Change is only natural," Master Jinn said wisely, setting down a fresh pot of tea before joining them on the cushions that served as seats at the low table.

"So is corruption, some might say," Padme teased him.

Rey laughed, "The whole High Council is in on it, and Master Jinn can't take credit for starting it."

"You?"

She shook her head, "No, Master Yoda."

Padme looked surprised, she wasn't a Jedi but even so, she had had her own preconceptions of the often mentioned Grandmaster. She asked them, "Does that mean you can't leave the Temple until you have a mission?"

"No," Master Jinn said, "we are free to go elsewhere off-mission, but I do have business on Coruscant presently."

"And Rey has to fulfil her 'punishment' with Master Yoda?"

He looked at the Queen a little more directly, "No, Rey may travel if she likes, though not so far that she can't be reached. Yoda said only when she is at the Temple does she have to study with the younglings."

Padme turned a genuine smile on Rey, "Then I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to Alderaan?"

Rey felt herself fit full to bursting, she turned to Master Jinn, "Could I, Master Jinn? Please?"

He looked at her with a raised brow, "If you wish it, I see no-"

She hugged him, "Thank you!"

He set his tea down giving her a one armed hug in return, "Is there a particular reason Alderaan is such a desired destination?"

_Because of General Organa's homeworld!_ Rey almost cried aloud, and immediately felt her joy dim, a bit.

Ever the question, was she from the future or not? Were her memories real or fake?

"I heard it was a planet of almost absolute peace and honour. That Alderaanians upheld their laws and took care of one another," _and also that it had been blown up by an evil Empire._

He looked at her for a long moment.

Padme interrupted, "I have to get back and help my escorts pack. Rey would you like to come with me or meet us at the platform?"

"She will meet you at the platform," Master Jinn said before Rey could answer.

Padme rose and bowed to them both, "A pleasure as always, Master Jinn."

"Safe travels, my dear, may the Force be with you."

"And with you," she said with another bow.

Rey had a feeling she knew what was coming and sure enough...

"We have given you space, Padawan, but your nightmares continue to disturb you."

"I don't wake up screaming anymore," she muttered.

He was unmoved by this statement.

She sighed, standing to wash her and Padme's teacups.

"Talk to me, Rey, and that is an order."

She rinsed the delicate cups, putting them on the small drying rack.

"Rey."

She didn't turn to him as she started with, "I keep seeing Obi-Wan dead. Every dream ends with…" her voice broke.

"Come sit, Padawan mine."

She came back to her seat, still not raising her gaze.

"That's not why you were afraid of him that first night."

She squeezed her eyes shut tight, fighting to keep her breaths even. The Force flowed through her, unhindered unlike how it was in her nightmares.

"How does he die in your dreams?"

"He doesn't die. I find him dead. Betrayed. His face is frozen in an expression as if _I_ had betrayed him."

"Would you ever purposely betray Obi-Wan?" Master Jinn asked.

"No!" she almost yelled, looking at him aghast. "No, I would never betray him. I would never betray either of you. I would die first."

"Then why are you afraid of something you have control over?"

She felt shaken, but she let herself think the question through.

_Why was she afraid?_

Was she afraid of Obi-Wan dying? Of course, but it wasn't the all consuming fear.

Her fear was becoming someone or something that would intentionally, or even unintentionally, hurt him.

"What does Darth mean?"

Master Jinn stiffened, and she felt his own fear through their bond. But his voice was even when he asked, "In what context do you ask this?"

"Every dream starts the same. I'm a bird, a black bird. I'm soaring through a forest," she frowned, now that she was saying the words aloud, details were coming into sharper focus. "I was on Naboo. The foliage was the same. I get caught in a storm and I can't- I can only fly when the Force is with me, and a voice calls out, telling me to take hold of the Force despite the pain."

"Whose voice?"

"I'm not sure, it's familiar but I can't place it."

"Do you take hold of the Force, or is your subconscious trying to shield you? After all, your version of shielding is cutting yourself off from the Force, thus inventing your inability to reach it within the dream. Like swimming sluggishly slow in a dream, when your physical body is wrestling with blankets."

She blinked at him, a wash of shame overcoming her. She should have confided in him sooner. "The latter I think, ugh, that makes so much more sense."

"What happens in the dreams then?"

"I fall, and I'm starving. The voice calls to me. Calling me his little Carrion Crow, he tells me to eat. I eat."

She couldn't finish the rest, but Master Jinn was a smart man and the look of horror in his eyes let her know he had understood.

He put a hand over hers where she had them twisted on the table. "You are not a bird, Rey."

"I am a scavenger."

His fingers tightened over hers, "I do not think this a Force vision, it sounds like someone has been swimming in your mind, twisting your darkest fears. Whoever is doing this either knew or now knows of your inner fears. And has learned that the person that matters the most to you is Obi-Wan."

Her heart constructed, "I've put him in danger?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi finds quite enough trouble without you convincing yourself you are to blame for it. We are Jedi, Rey, we put ourselves into harm's way on a regular basis."

She let out a breath, "You're right, I'm letting my fears get the best of me."

"I find these dreams disturbing," Master Jinn stated. "Not so much their content but their implication and purpose. Someone has reached your dreams, breached your mind, stirring up your fears and trying to push you to the Dark Side."

"Is this common?"

"No, it is not, but as your shields continue to be one of your greatest weaknesses, I am not terribly surprised to find it possible that someone could attack you like this."

She looked down at his hand where it covered hers, "I'm trying, Master, but I still don't understand quite how-"

"I am not angry with you, Rey. Considering how late you started your training, I am not at all surprised it is taking you so long, especially as it would appear you have been open to the Force all your life. It is a greater mystery to me how none of our Seekers ever found you. Tatooine isn't so far out of the way as all that."

She almost told him then, she almost told him she was really from Jakku and possibly from the future but impossibly not from the future as well. She just didn't want to admit that she had been hiding a much larger secret from them since the beginning. They would either believe she was a liar or truly insane.

She didn't know which was worse.

She had said she would never betray them, but had she already from omitting this conflict within her?

His next question stole her nerve, "Why did you ask about the Darth title?"

"It's a title?"

"Rey."

She knew, instinctively she knew that what she said next would be a bad omen, "Darth Carrion. The voice called me Darth Carrion."

And in her mind's eye, she saw the vision of herself from Ilum.

The woman draped in black, whose walk was thunder, who was as much the throne of great power in the galaxy as a slave to it.

The Carrion Crow, someone who feasted on the dead, who drew strength from distraction.

Master Jinn called to the Force, and she felt the Light fill her through their bond. Her Master threw their connections wide.

Through him, she felt Obi-Wan like a shimmering star. Their bonds as Master, Knight, and Padawan was a light of its own. And beyond them were other threads, other lights. Master Dooku was a shadowed planet, knowing both Dark and Light as he did, Master Mor too, was like a moon caught half in shadow, and Asajj was a full moon glimmering in the light of others as if she were still learning how to become a power on her own.

And in the Force, their connections went beyond what Rey could name. She could identify the Council, and some of the younglings she had begun to care for, together they were all a part of a greater whole.

They were the Jedi Order.

They were agents within the Force.

Master Jinn brought her awareness back in, and only then did she realize her eyes had shut in meditation. Before she opened them, she found one other thread. Almost forgotten because he seemed to give no light of his own, but the Force had not forgotten, and after months of training with him, she couldn't forget her friend either.

"You are a Jedi, my Padawan," Master Jinn said, "the Dark has no claim on you, whether it acknowledges you or not. Your fate is what you choose it to be."

"What does Darth mean?" she asked.

"Darth roughly translates to Dark Lord, Darth is the title of the Sith Lords."

Her mouth went dry, the mere memory of the Sith shades making her feel cold. She wrapped her grey robes around herself, feeling the Force around her like a strong wind.

She was a sail, that wind was hers to use, but the wind itself was as free as she was.

The Sith were fools who thought they could own the wind.

The wind could not be owned, and neither would she be. Her attacker could have her dreams, but they couldn't have her. She was spoken for.

"I want you to take Sifo-Dyas's instructions on building your shields more seriously when you are on Alderaan."

She turned back to him, "You're still going to let me go?"

He nodded, "But you are to contact me immediately if the need arises. I trust that you are strong enough, but be careful."

She bowed to him, "Thank you, Master. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Padawan mine."

* * *

"She was dreaming what?" the hologram of Obi-Wan asked.

Qui-Gon, who had no desire to repeat himself, went on, "I think it was an attack."

The hologram of Mor snorted, "Of course it was an attack. Unless your Padawan has been badly tortured in her life, it is doubtful she could ever imagine something like that. The question is who?"

"Her father, he is suspect."

"Bold of him," Mor noted, "Unless he truly has no clue we might be onto him. Which in and of itself is a good sign. Sheev undid our trackers in his systems, but not before we got a hold of his transmission records. The three most notable are the Trade Federation, Hego Damask of the IBC, and one to Kimino."

"You spoke with the Council already? And I met Hego Damask once, we did not see eye to eye."

"I did, that Sifo-Dyas was in contact with Hego Damask and Kimino as now, Sheev has been may prove to be a problem. The planet is beyond Republic regulation, but Dooku is reaching out to his own allies in the Outer Rim. Kimino appears to be gathering resources in mass."

"That can't be good," Qui-Gon mused, running his fingers over his chin. "Yoda was right, darkness is building, despite our efforts. We aren't changing fast enough."

"Master," Obi-Wan said in that tone he used when he was about to 'respectfully' reproach his senior, "Change is necessary, I will not argue that with you. But rapid change could befall its own issues. The Council is right to be cautious, we should not solve one problem by creating a dozen more simply because we are not taking the care to consider them."

Qui-Gon smiled, dipping his head, "You're right, of course, _Master_ Kenobi."

He got a scowl in return.

Mor chuckled, "Oh, I see why the Council likes him so much. He might have a seat on it one day if you, Knight Kenobi, can keep it up."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, "I argue quite enough with Qui-Gon without getting myself into that sort of position."

"Does that mean you would refuse a seat as I did, my once apprentice?" Qui-Gon asked.

Obi-Wan scowled harder at him, and Qui-Gon fought to suppress a grin until Obi-Wan asked, "What did you tell Rey to do about her dreams?"

"I tasked her with Sifo-Dyas's direction in mediation to hopefully build up her shields. She will be off-world for a time, but perhaps time away from the Temple would do her good."

"Where is she going?"

"Alderaan with Padme, Sabe, and their entourage. But Obi-Wan, you must be careful. I think someone might go after you to get at her."

"Please tell me you didn't tell her that?"

Qui-Gon crossed his arms, "What do you take me for, of course I didn't, but be careful. It is as you say, we are changing things in the galaxy and we are making enemies, _personal_ enemies."

"Hence why the Jedi leave family and politics behind," Mor noted, "until now."

"I'll be careful, Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said, "We should be back at the Temple soon."

"Your mission went smoothly then?"

Mor made a disgusted noise, "We played it by the book. Asajj is enamoured with your most recently graduated protege."

"So the mission was a success?" Qui-Gon asked again.

Mor sighed, "The Council will have nothing to complain about."

Obi-Wan was fighting not to smile, "Master Mor is certainly one of yours, Master Jinn."

Qui-Gon didn't attempt to hide his own smile, "Why of course he is, he helped make me who I am today."

Mor smirked, "The real question is who Rey will take after?"

Qui-Gon shared a smile with Obi-Wan.

Rey would be like no other in the Order.

* * *

Padme's handmaidens had taken to Rey right away. They went as far as doing her hair and convincing her to wear a bit of cosmetics.

The transformation was almost startling, not because she looked like someone else, but because the cosmetics made her look so much older and mature. Her grey robes weren't the standard for a Jedi even if the cut was similar. She could have looked like, well not a noble from Naboo, she wasn't wearing near enough finery for that, but a noble from some planet whose climate was inhospitably hot.

She touched her hair, "I didn't realize how long my hair had grown, it's easier to take care of now when I have such ready access to running water."

"You look beautiful," Padme complimented.

She looked a little uncomfortable, "It is fun for today, but I don't think it's really me. I certainly couldn't have applied that all myself."

Sabe laughed, "Don't discount yourself, Dorme is an artist."

Padme herself was dressed in full queenly attire, the headdress heavy atop her head. Her gown today was lilac with layers of floating fabric undercut with cloth that could take blaster shots. Not that she expected anything to happen on Alderaan, but then all of the Queen's gowns were layered with such protections. Sabe was almost as dressed up, though her makeup wasn't a mask nor was her gown armoured.

"Do you think Queen and Senator Organa will like me?" Rey asked, showing an uncharacteristic amount of nervousness.

"Of course they will," Padme answered, "don't be worried. They are really quite wonderful."

"I know," Rey said with a grin.

This answer did not enlighten Padme as to why the Padawan was so jittery. But as they prepared for their landing she supposed she had only to wait.

Padme wasn't sure what she expected of Rey. The girl was certainly kind but what she did not expect what happened after all the names and titles had been exchanged.

Rey bowed almost completely at the waist to Queen Braha and Senator Bail Organa. Padme had never seen a Jedi show so much respect to a politician before.

When she straightened, her tone was both full of emotion and sincerity as she said, "It is an honour to meet you both."

Queen Braha smiled, "The honour is ours, rare it is for us to host a Jedi for a social visit."

Rey smiled, "I've always wanted to see Alderaan, ever since I was little and first heard of your planet."

Braha said, "We must give you a tour then."

"I would enjoy that, Your Highness."

Sabe gave Padme an amused look, Rey was kind to them, but she had never been awestruck by their presence.

Padme wasn't jealous, she had seen Rey treat some of the Masters in her own Order like this, but she was bothered nonetheless. Alderaan had many similarities to Naboo, but Padme supposed she could appreciate why Rey might prefer this planet. The Horizons here were cut by impressive mountain ranges, and if Naboo was a planet of oceans and jungle pools, then Alderaan was a planet of waterfalls and rivers that fed into clear lakes.

"The architecture is so open," Rey said as they walked, showing more interest in the landscapes than the paintings and sculptures that held Padme's own interests.

"Indeed, our people built out rather than up, but we still maintain our green spaces," Bail said, "Our nature reserves are important to our people. It's why many of our streets are designed for walkers and single person bikes."

"The streets are lovely too," Rey noted, "Tatooine doesn't even have paved streets. Not that it matters, nothing grows naturally there other than a few shrubbish plants I'd be wary of going near."

Bail smiled, then shot Padme an amused look before he asked, "Do we out shine Naboo? Their planet is filled with grand architecture and an abundance of greenery."

Rey shrugged, "Naboo is quite beautiful as well, but not as stable, I think."

Padme felt the remark like a bucket of ice water poured over her head. She had been meeting with Master Jedi for over a year now, and while she had come to know Master Dooku as the closest person the Jedi Order had in the way of a politician, she had grown quite fond of the way Master Jinn did mince words.

But Rey? There was nothing political about her speech, but neither was she cruel or purposefully hurtful. Her words were simply earnest -which is what made her assessment of Naboo so jarring. Rey was technically a native of Naboo, and it offended some core part of Padme that Rey would prefer this not dissimilar world to their own.

_Not as stable._

Meaning what exactly? That her people were greedier? More afraid? Had a more uncertain future than those citizens and visitors to Alderaan?

The sad part was that Rey was correct if that is what she meant. Not four years ago Padme's people had almost starved because of a foreign power taking them over, a power invited by the greed of plasma mining. Unlike Padme's guard, Braha's guard weren't even armed with weapons.

She caught Sabe's gaze and knew she was thinking the same thing, or at least knew what Padme was thinking.

They needed to do better for their people.

Bail and Braha were regaling Rey with Alderaanian history of which she seemed to be completely transfixed on their every word of. It was only because Padme knew them so well that she could see that her handmaidens were growing weary of the history lesson. Unlike Naboo's history, there were no wars or major conflicts in Alderaan's recent history, just minor scandals and debates on how best to preserve peace and prosperity for everyone.

Padme supposed it was a mark in Rey's favour that she was so attentive to such a history. Though the Jedi were often deployed into conflict, their goal was to promote peace. Her interest in the actuality of peace was admirable, here was a woman whose heart was in the right place. A woman who had found her calling among the Jedi.

Naboo, Padme was sad to acknowledge, had fallen short of the expectation of sustainable peace. It made her all the more determined to do better for her people.

Maybe one day, Jedi Rey Palpatine would look on Naboo with the same reverence.

* * *

Asajj watched her Master carefully. She had recently convinced him that she wished to become one of the Jedi Shadows.

It wasn't a choice most Padawans could make, but then, she was not most Padawans. The Council had approved of her pursuit, though Master Yoda had stipulated that she would have routine meetings with Master Windu to check in on her progress. However, she had yet to earn Mor's approval, and he seemed put out that she had addressed this with the Council during their mission report before he had cleared it.

But she _would_ earn his consent with this path she had chosen. She didn't want to become a Shadow because she was addicted to the Dark, she had chosen this path because she didn't want others to face the choices she had.

Her training on Serreno had been both a gift and a torture. Mor had guided back not just to the Light but back to herself. Almost every Jedi Shadow had to face their own Darkness, therefore she was qualified, she knew it deep within and the Council knew it as well.

Mor, however, seemed to want her to be better than she was. He saw in her his own redemption, but she saw nothing in him that needed to be redeemed. Her Master was someone who had been tested by fire and come out hardened, but not unworthy.

He was as much a Jedi now as he ever had been before, and she believed in the work of the Shadows, even if she knew not every person could be tried as such.

Asajj just knew that the Dark and the Light were not meant to be wholly kept apart and that she was strong enough to handle them together.

"The corruption goes deeper," Mor was telling Masters Yoda, Windu, Koon, and Fisto.

Master Mor wasn't the oldest Shadow in the room, but he was the most highly regarded and skilled.

The Temple Guard were here in full number as well, anonymous under their masks, yet Asajj could feel their discontent. The Jedi Sages, the opposite of the Shadows, wisdom seekers, individuals who sought the Light in the darkest corners of the galaxy, exploring realms sometimes far beyond the Outer Rim.

"How deep?" one of the Temple Guard asked.

"Foundational," Mor said, "We've been going to the underworld and it is definitely coming from the Temple itself."

Librarian Lene Kostana (or as Asajj referred to her, the old hag) crossed her arms, "You already had all my artefacts destroyed, and all the Sith texts transcribed and the original copies destroyed. There is nothing left in the archives."

Fey, a Sage who was nearly as old as Yoda and thousand times better preserved, remarked, "Aside from the thousands of Jedi artefacts and the thousand more objects and texts gathered from cultures across the galaxy and beyond, you mean."

The old hag waved it away, "What was the point of destroying my and Master Dooku's collection if the Temple is still, and I quote, 'infected'?"

"I don't know," one of the other Shadows remarked acridly, "because some of those objects contained parasitical Sith Lords and others which carried actual poisons that could drive most species to violent madness?"

Kostana tsked, "That's why they were kept safely in the archives."

Several sighs filled the room.

Master Kit Fisto, a practical and compassionate Council Member asked, "What do you suggest we do, Master Shadow?"

Mor sighed, "Honestly?"

Windu crossed his arms, "That would be ideal."

"Move everyone out and burn the place down. Maybe with high level contained explosives, in order to make a crater, just to be sure we get everything."

The room went deathly silent.

Fey laughed, "I have missed the Shadows."

Windu scowled, "We can't blow up our own home."

Mor sighed, "I don't know what else to tell you, the Darkness has seeped into the entire Temple from the foundation, and it is growing."

"Could this not be from the growing Darkness in the galaxy?" another Sage -who Asajj didn't know the name of- asked.

"No," another Shadow answered, "It is very specifically centred in the Temple. Though to be fair it doesn't help that we are this planet."

"What's wrong with this planet?" one of the Temple Guard asked.

The Sages and Shadows exchanged looks.

"What?" Windu asked harshly.

Mor shook his head, "Coruscant is not Nar Shaddaa, but to be honest with you Council Members, Temple Guard, it is not much better. The main difference is that laws are sometimes enforced here and the Jedi are here. But there is precious little that grows on this planet, no unpolluted or unfiltered water, nothing that is not in some way manufactured. Thus there is nothing left on this planet that might naturally defuse or balance concentrations of negative energies."

"So we should move our people elsewhere," Fey said, "The galaxy is large, we could find our own planet."

Yoda shook his head, "This is where the Jedi have been for four thousand years, remain here we will."

"And as far as we know, Grandmaster," Mor interjected, "This problem could be four thousand years old. The Jedi Order's history was not always one of peace. The Sith are not just our enemies, they originated from us. Tradition is far from infallible."

Windu sighed, "There was a reason we didn't invite Masters Jinn and Dooku to this preliminary discussion."

"Well, I'm afraid Master Windu, I agree with both of them," Mor retorted with a dimpled smirk.

"And the Shadows agree with Master Mor," one of the other Shadows said.

Asajj fought not to smile at the perturbed scowl on Windu's face.

"Master Jinn?" Fey asked. "I heard some rumour not long ago about him. He acquired a new Padawan from Tatooine, did he not?"

"He has," Plo Koon affirmed, "Padawan Rey Palpatine. I think you would like her, she is nearly as connected to the Force as you are."

"Hhmm…" Fey mused, "the Mandalorians seem quite taken with her. And in my entire life, I have never heard a Mandalorian ever willingly say something positive about a Jedi."

Asajj wasn't surprised to hear this, Rey was… different. Though Asajj found herself warming up to the hyper Padawan, especially after being on mission with Kenobi. It was hard for her to believe people being so wholly good natured. But there they were.

"The lineages of Dooku and Jinn aside," Windu said, "what are our other options for Temple other than blowing it up or leaving it."

Again, the Sages and Shadows exchanged looks, finally one of the Sages offered, "We could attempt to heal it."

Mor shook his head, his long hair shifting over his shoulders with the movement, "No, we cannot afford to waste such resources, not now."

"We are never going to convince the Order to abandon this Temple," Windu argued.

"Then don't convince," Mor said dryly, "command them. There is a reason we have a High Council after all."

"Is the threat of staying here immediate?" Plo Koon asked.

Mor exchanged a glance with another Shadow who scratched his ridged head before saying in high pitched voice, "The Jedi Order is in immediate danger, yes, but… well, if this problem has been here for four thousand years then no, I suppose staying here isn't dangerous per se. Except perhaps to those of us who struggle with intense visions or who are touch-clairvoyants."

People like Rey in other words, Asajj thought.

"But why risk it?" Fey asked.

"Other dangers we face, if move we do," Yoda said.

"What are our immediate dangers?" Fisto asked.

"The Sith," Mor said, "we have all discovered enough evidence to conclude that the Sith are on the verge of toppling the galaxy into a civil war."

"War?" Fey asked, "I have seen discontent in the outer regions, but have things become so dire in the inner rings?"

"While the Order has made steps in mitigating what looks like a well thought out plan of war fought between droids and clones, the Republic is caught internally. Master Sifo-Dyas, several other Council members, and additional Masters have been sent to Kimino to try and convince them that the clone army they have been taking steps to grow is inadvisable. Yet everything we are doing seems to be retroactive. With the Jedi resources and connections increasing in the Senate, the more corrupt systems are becoming as dissatisfied as those planets who were previously considering joining the Separatist movement."

"We caught on too late," Plo Koon remarked sadly.

"Not too late," Mor assured, "But if we have learned anything from history, the Sith are not simply going to back down. We believe that there are only two, a Dark Lord and their apprentice but we can neither count on that tradition being true nor if they catch wind that we are onto them that their numbers will remain so."

"That rift," Fey said suddenly, "that rift we felt years ago. In the Light we have been shielding the galaxy with."

A Shadow snorted, "A rift? Jinn's Padawan popped that bubble when she shoved all the Sith shades into the Light. She made much more than a rift, she's the reason the Force itself changed."

Fey looked astonished, "A Padawan brought balance to the Force? Who tasked her with that, the Sith shades could have destroyed her, should have… so much darkness."

"No one tasked her with it," Windu said, "she encountered the Sith shades in her Ilum vision."

Fey raised her brows, "You're telling us that a Padawan 'accidentally' balanced the Force?"

"She is quite the study," Fisto remarked with a smile.

Asajj rolled her eyes, she liked Rey, but she was never going to understand her.

"So what are we going to do about the Sith?" a Temple Guard asked.

"Hunt them," a Shadow answered.

"You've been hunting them for years," a Sage countered, "how do we find them when they've clearly learned to mask themselves so thoroughly?"

"Prepare we must," Master Yoda said, "to be attacked directly."

"We certainly seem to be stirring them up by changing as much as we are in the Republic," Windu remarked.

Asajj watched her Master's body language change, he was suddenly _more_ than he had been a moment again, "Masters, if I may?"

"Speak, Master Shadow," Yoda commanded.

"All of us have been trained as individuals, even the Temple Guard, each of us is uniquely powerful and singularly dangerous, however…" he sighed, "However, we should expect that the Sith are more powerful than us individually. Darth Bane's Rule of Two stripped them of their numbers. Numbers that the Jedi of our history were able to match. But the Jedi are no longer an army, and we have to expect that the Sith have taken only the best of the best and where we looked to the past… the trails we have found indicate that they have looked to the future, taking both radical and sadistic measures to advance themselves."

Every face was turned to him, their expressions grim.

"For those of us who are extraordinary, we cannot guarantee we will be where we are needed. The Jedi are diplomats, but if the Sith are mobilizing again, we must advance beyond that."

The Sages seemed most disturbed by this, and Master Yoda seemed grieved.

Fisto asked, "You're suggesting we train our people to be ready for war?"

Mor nodded, "I would suggest we start sending our people out in larger numbers, in fours rather than twos. Those Masters who would rather work alone must adjust. I realize it may limit us. And I also…" he cut himself off with a sigh.

"Know, I do, what you have thought of, Master Mor," Yoda said, "Grieves me it does, but speak you must."

Mor straightened, "I also think that the Shadows, Sages, and Temple Guards should train together. Individually we are vulnerable, but together, if we truly train in the goal of combining our strengths rather than simply fighting side by side, there is no power, no matter how great or how Dark, that could defeat us united."

"The Sages have always been individuals, and our purposes are for knowledge, possibly offering peace to those far from the Republic's reach, not fighting," a Sage protested.

"But we do not know where the Sith are," Mor countered, "For all we know, the outer territories may be the front lines. If someone began to pick off the Sages we wouldn't hear about it until it was too late to send aid. Shadows and Sages have only been a part of each other, a two sided coin, one that seeks Light, one that chases Darkness, together we could do more."

Discussions broke out between the groups and between them.

Asajj observed them all, feeling a kinship to them in ways she hadn't felt with the more standard of the Order. The Sages and Shadows were clearly more used to following their own advice than taking Orders, whereas the Temple Guard were nearly as paranoid as the Shadows.

Finally, Windu called them to silence and Master Yoda spoke, "Sorrow, I do, for this request, but follow Master Mor's advice we must. Units shall the Shadows and Sages form, alone shall you travel no more. And to those who would remain to protect the Order's centre, trained to be an army, will we ask of you. Lightly we do not ask, for sacrifice it is, but a sacrifice that means that require of the entire Order, we need not."

Sages, Shadows, and Temple Guard bowed to the Council members, and the Council bowed in return.

Asajj could feel something shift in the Force, perhaps not between Dark and Light, but something, as if destiny had just been irrevocably changed.

When the room began to empty, the Masters departing to find places to mediate or work off their thoughts in sparring matches, only a few remained to further discuss qualms with the Council members. And Asajj was left waiting at her Master's side.

Mor's face was not amused when he asked, "And this is what you want to be a part of, Asajj? An army? You know it is not the fate Ky would have wished for you. The Jedi do not raise their younglings to be soldiers."

"Only warriors who get into untold amounts of danger."

Mor's expression grew, if possible, more dangerous, "We do not require our people to kill. As for danger, most Force sensitives find danger, attracted to it like moths to flame. It is why our Seekers are considered so necessary, not to keep the Jedi numbers high, but because the Force will influence them with or without guidance. History has shown that with guidance, they gain more freedoms, are less likely to be swept away with the tide, the ebb and flow of the Force's whims."

She frowned at him, "That's not how you usually speak of the Force."

"The Force is the Dark and the Light, Padawan, in these times, that cannot be denied."

"Then why are you so upset with me for choosing this path, for following the path you yourself chose?" she asked, fighting to keep her voice from rising.

"Because it almost destroyed me! And I don't want you to go through the same. You found your way back to the Light and I am so proud of you. Why put temptation back in your path?"

"Because I belong to the Light and the Dark. Because there is a line I know I should not cross, and that knowledge was hard won. It is my strength to know the Dark but remain in the Light, as it yours, as it is for every Shadow."

"I thought you were impressed with Knight Kenobi," Mor countered, "I thought you would aspire to be a Jedi Knight like him, not a Jedi Shadow after our latest mission."

"I was impressed, and it showed me that I could never be him," she said, wanting him to understand.

"Most Jedi are not that good at negotiating, Padawan mine. We are all individuals, we have different talents to offer as Knights."

"Exactly! But negotiation should be what the Jedi aspire to. I'm not that eloquent with words, I'm not good with people, but I am a warrior, and with the right training, I could be exceptional."

Mor sighed, "You are exceptional, Asajj. If you are certain about becoming a Shadow, I cannot be soft with you."

She gave him a look, "Soft? Is that what you call punching me out, or soft like the time you pushed me off a cliff?"

Master Windu paused mid-conversation to look over at them.

Master Mor put his hands on his hips like Master Jinn did so often, "I can be worse. You will have to get closer to the Dark for this career and I will be damned before I let you slip."

She smirked, "I would expect nothing less, Master mine."

Windu was still watching them sceptically, she could only imagine what he was thinking.

* * *

Padme had convinced Rey to come back to Naboo with them, and her Master had granted her that freedom, especially as her father had moved to Telos.

And as it turned out, having a Jedi with them, saved all their lives.

Padme found herself and her people thrown back into the water that was under the dock they had landed on.

She cursed her layered skirts as Rey dived in beside her to pull her upwards. Captain Panaka had Sabe in his arms when they rose to the surface. Her handmaidens and the other guards weren't wearing dresses heavy enough to drown them.

They got to watch the fiery explosion of their ship on the dock.

"I miss Alderaan," Panaka quipped.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Sabe asked.

He gave her a dark look.

Padme hated that she had to continue to cling to Rey as they began to swim to the far shore.

"Obi-Wan is never going to let me forget this," the Padawan bemoaned, "I can just hear him now, going on about how much trouble I get into."

"To be fair," Padme said, "I think they were aiming for Sabe and I, you were just in the wrong place at the right time."

Rey grinned, "It's a talent of mine."

* * *

Rey was right about Obi-Wan's reaction, and he nearly squeezed the life out of her in a hug when he joined her at Padme's parents' house.

"I'm okay, Obi-Wan, promise," she said, hugging him back.

He pulled back, "I'm beginning to think Tatooine is a safer planet."

"Don't say that to Padme's parents, they are very proud of their home."

"Yes, and I am sure they are just delighted with recent events."

"They don't approve of politics, they had hoped their daughter had gone into music instead."

"I like them already," he said with a smile.

Padme had heard the last comment as she came in, wearing a dress that was more suited for the warm weather.

"My parents, Knight Kenobi, I am sure will be delighted that you agree with them."

"Don't take it personally, my own Master and his Master have been a bit too involved in politics for my tastes as well."

"Says the Negotiator," Padme shot back, "Your first mission alone and you already earned yourself a nickname."

"Did you really?" Rey asked, interested, "Details, Obi-Wan, details."

"It went well," he said, fighting back a smile, "Nothing exploded and no one wanted to kill us."

"Must be Master Jinn then who incites homicide," Rey said thoughtfully.

"Says the one who lands on a planet and nearly gets incinerated on the platform."

"Hey! It isn't my fault Padme and Sabe are good at their jobs."

Padme raised her chin, "Why thank you, Padawan."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "In sum, our mission was short, uneventful, and the Council was pleased."

"How disappointed was Master Jinn?" Padme, not Rey, asked.

They all laughed.

"Come," Padme said, "My family is eager to meet you. And I cannot thank you both enough for being here. Not only have you both saved our lives, repeatedly, but your presence allows my entourage to visit their own family during the recess."

Obi-Wan bowed to her, "It is our honour to be of service, Queenie."

Padme rolled her eyes at him, and Rey noted, with flushed cheeks.

oOo

Rey and Obi-Wan took turns, one of them always awake and on alert. But over the days they stayed at the Naberrie Amidala residence, she began to warm up to Naboo.

She liked Alderaan because it was where General Leia had been from, and meeting her hero's parents had been a true honour, but Rey had never imagined actually living there.

Day by day, she was beginning to remember tiny pieces of her childhood, the smells, the feel of the humid air, and even the sounds of birds.

And Padme was fast becoming a dear friend. As all her other friends were Council members, it was interesting to have someone close to her own age to speak with. It helped that Padme got along really well with Obi-Wan as well.

Rey half wanted Obi-Wan to meet Maul, and knew deep down that they would probably hate each other. Maul wasn't the sort of person who socialized with smiles and light hearted banter.

Maul was the sort who bared his teeth, grumbled about the existence of people, and was happiest teaching Rey how to kill things with a double bladed saber.

With Padme, Rey spoke of galaxy histories and languages. Rey had a fondness for learning languages, even if Obi-Wan sighed loudly when she remarked on Tolkien contacting her to help her learn Mandalorian.

Padme had thought it was fascinating and only restrained herself from trying to reach out to the Mandalorians to try making connections when her mother walked in and reprimanded her for working during her break.

The only reason why Padme wasn't at work was because the Nubain guard were investigating the assassination attempt. The Queen's duties were put on hold for the two weeks they had remaining. Padme would be returning to Coruscant while Sabe would remain on Naboo for this term. The Jedi Council itself had stepped in with their clearance to swap the records of Padme and Sabe's eye, fingerprint, and blood records. It would be switched back after her second term as Queen had passed and if anyone had personal files on them it wouldn't work, but Padme had been working closely with the Jedi and the Jedi needed all the allies it could manage in the Senate.

If the Republic got wind of the switch or the Naboo people for that matter, it might spell trouble. But Rey got the sense from both Padme and Sabe that for them that just made the deception more fun. She was pretty sure both young women were adrenaline junkies, and Rey really couldn't throw stones at this observation.

But as well as she enjoyed her time on Naboo, and as much as she disliked the Temple, Rey was grateful to return to her Master's side.

Padme was given a different Jedi guard detail the moment they landed at the Temple as the Council had requested him for another mission.

Master Jinn smiled at her as she entered his apartment, "Ah, Padawan mine, welcome home."

She smiled in turn, before bowing her head, "Master Jinn."

"I have tea, sit and tell me of your adventures. I heard there were explosives."

"It was pretty calm after that," she said, accepting the cup he poured for her, "Alderaan was amazing, I didn't know anywhere could be so peaceful."

"Yes, Alderaan has few equals, at least among those places habited by humans," he looked at her, narrowing his sapphire eyes before a light entered them. "Well done, Padawan Palpatine, you have begun to build your mental shields."

She flushed, "They are terrible, I know, but I have been practising."

"It is a start, which is a good sign," he praised, sipping his tea. "How was Naboo?"

"More pleasant away from the Theed palace, and I got… well, some of my memories have been emerging."

"Pleasant ones?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"All pleasant, though… I don't know, I was so young, I got the sense we were hiding from something. But what I remembered most were the sounds and feel of the planet itself. Padme's parents taught me some of the names of the birds and the plants there."

His eyes sparkled at her as he commanded her, "Teach me."

They spent the next few minutes talking about plants and wildlife, Master Jinn was in the middle of an anecdote when her comm alerted her to a call.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Apprentice."

"Maul?"

Master Jinn watched her closely, she wasn't quite sure if he knew or not how often she met with Maul. Even Obi-Wan didn't always assume when she left the Temple that she was meeting with him.

"Your Obi-Wan, is Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi," he made the statement into a question.

"Yes," she answered warily. Maul almost never called her, in fact, she couldn't remember a time when it hadn't been her reaching out to him. So his call and his tone sent off her warning flags.

"Someone wants him dead."

"How much is the bounty?" she asked.

He said a number.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't have heard you correctly."

He repeated it.

She stood. "Send it to me," she said, giving him the contact to Master Jinn's datapad that she took from his desk, "Who posted it?"

"They went through the guilds, it would be near impossible to discover, there are too many intermediates, not usually a problem, but the sum is its own holder."

He wasn't kidding.

Rey flipped the pad to Master Jinn.

His eyes went huge, "Obi-Wan is with the Council now, Rey, he can't leave the Temple."

"I have to go, Maul, thank you."

"Force be with you, Apprentice," he said, hanging up first.

She took the pad with her as she darted from the room. She barged into the Council room just as Obi-Wan was bowing to the Masters in parting.

"Padawan Rey," Master Fisto greeted warmly, even as Master Windu frowned at her.

The Vaapad Master told her firmly, "No, you can't go with him."

She shook her head, "Obi-Wan can't go."

Obi-Wan was frowning at her too, "Rey-"

"Why ever not, child?" Plo Koon asked, his tone not unfriendly.

"It's too dangerous," she stated, unsure who to show the datapad to first.

Master Yoda made the choice for her, "Have something for us to see, do you, Padawan Palpatine?"

She bowed to him, and handed over the datapad to him.

Master Yoda was rendered silent as he read over the information, Master Windu took it impatiently, and he too was rendered momentarily speechless.

He passed it around to the other Council members and finally, Master Windu asked, "Kenobi, what did you do?"

Obi-Wan's patience finally broke, "What do you mean, 'what did I do'? And Rey, why would it be too dangerous for me to go on a mission that you know nothing about?"

Master Yoda floated the datapad to him, and Obi-Wan gaped at the screen.

Rey folded her arms in her sleeves and said sagely, "Because you're too expensive."

He shook his head, "This information is defunct, there are far too many zeroes on this screen."

"Defunct, it may be," Master Yoda said, "But on active duty, you may not be, until resolved this is."

"Um, Master," Rey said hesitantly, "Bounties like this don't resolve until the target is dead."

"Solution, Obi-Wan must find."

"May the Force be with you," Plo Koon offered in a wry tone.

"And with you," Rey said, looping her arm with Obi-Wan's and leading him out.

His face was growing increasingly red as they walked through the Temple.

"I'm under house arrest, aren't I?" he asked, sounding slow, but she knew his mind was spinning through a million scenarios.

"Lucky for you," Rey said, "we know a few people who might be able to help."

oOo

"I think you look good," Rey encouraged, trying not to smile too hard.

He glared at her then glared at Master Jinn who remarked, "As disguises go, it's fair."

"You should definitely grow out a beard, which we will have to colour too, but the fitted uniform is so different from Jedi robes that it will be hard to identify you that way," Dorme noted.

Padme smiled, "Despite the bounty on your head, Captain Panaka is pleased to hear you will be joining our entourage. He said with both of us having targets on our names it doesn't make the situation worse to have Jedi on guard duty."

"And Lieutenant Kenobi is pleased to be helping you in all your political endeavours," Master Jinn said.

Obi-Wan looked as if he had just bit into a lemon.

Rey, Padme, and Dorme laughed, and he glared back at them, "Why," he began, "did you have to make me a ginger?"

"Because," Dorme stated, "nobody in their right mind would ever choose to have that hair colour, and there is absolutely nothing covert about it, so everyone will assume it has to be natural."

Obi-Wan sighed, "I suppose it is better than being trapped in the Temple until this blows over."

Rey didn't want to be the one to break it to him that 'blowing over' would likely take years, a bounty that high was akin to winning the lottery. Jedi or no, there would be people willing to die for that price.

It made her worry, but the Force blew through her flimsy shields and she took a breath.

The Force was with them.

Dorme looked at her datapad and cursed, "We are going to be late. The party is an hour away from the Temple."

"Do have fun at the party, Obi-Wan," Master Jinn teased.

Obi-Wan huffed, securing his new blaster at his side making sure his saber was hidden in a cleverly cut fold of cloth at his back. Dorme really was an artist. "Do try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone," Obi-Wan said in parting.

Rey grinned, "No promises. May the Force be with you all."

"And with you," the group of three chorused as Obi-Wan stepped into place in front of Padme.

Master Jinn began to prepare tea after the door shut, "Well, Padawan Palpatine, it looks like it is just you and I for the time being."

Rey put her chin in her hands as she waited at the table, "How much trouble do you think we can find ourselves in without Obi-Wan?"

His smile was nothing short of wicked, "I do believe we will find out, Force willing."

Rey was quite sure that becoming this man's Padawan had been the best thing in the entire galaxy to ever happen to her.

* * *

End of Part I - The Will of the Force

* * *

AN: First chapter of Part II will be posted as Chapter 23 in this story next Thursday. Thank you to all the reviewers supporting this story. Please, if you have any thoughts, reactions, ideas, or feedback please take a moment to drop a comment or review, it is why I post. Stay safe and much love~


	23. Ahsoka Tano

Part II - The Daughter of a Clone

Intrigue, romance, tragedy, and a fair amount of violence awaits you. We have time travelling to be revealed and a clone army in the process of being grown. **Time skip of four-ish years **from 29 BBY to 25 BBY.

* * *

As of **25 BBY: **Rey Palpatine and Asajj Ventress are 27, Obi-Wan Kenobi is 32, Maul is 30, Padme Amidala is 23, and Ahsoka Tano is 12

* * *

I have now read about 20 books of the Star Wars variety, watched hundreds of videos, started watching the Clone Wars TV show (in French because why not work on my language skills?), rewatched all the movies at least twice, and dabbled in reading others fanfictions all in the last crazy three months. Turns out that if you apply a grad-school level of research into a fandom the results can be quite entertaining. So with the now hundreds of hours I have poured into research, notes, correspondence with friends, writing, and editing, I hope you enjoy :D

* * *

Chapter 23 - Ahsoka Tano

Ahsoka Tano was the type of initiate that was too impulsive by half, and untold

amounts of too stubborn for her own good.

Her teachers often called her fighting form predatory, her strategies reckless, and her work summaries for her classes 'so brief and succinct as to allow no other point of view despite ample omissions that could be considered 'misleading.'

But she was twelve, and as her 'mission summaries' were really just history lessons already documented, she saw absolutely no reason to regurgitate the information back to the people who knew the subject better than she did. She said as much to her teachers.

The Masters were not amused.

This was to say that Ahsoka had received many a reprimand for challenging orders, talking back, and generally trying to have the last word in any given conversation had her slated to not -if ever- be picked as a Jedi Padawan.

Which was a shame in her opinion, because while Ahsoka had her self doubts (who didn't?), she knew that it was her path to become a Jedi Knight.

She certainly didn't have the disposition to be a farmer.

Only one person seemed to really believe in her, her ceche-mates aside (though even they thought she could be too snippy at times), and the problem was, that one person, was a Jedi Padawan herself, and thus couldn't take on a Padawan of her own.

Of course, Padawan Rey Palpatine was an exception to all the rules and having her in Ahsoka's corner wasn't entirely encouraging.

But why were all these thoughts plaguing her today? After all, she had only recently turned twelve, thus giving her almost a year to be chosen as a Padawan and whatever behavioural issues she had, no one could deny she was powerful in the Force. But yet she was worried, because on the benches and standing around the practice room Master Yoda had brought them to was nearly every member on the High Council, a dozen other Masters, half a dozen knights, and only one or two Padawans.

Ahsoka felt her heartbeat in her throat as three other creches joined them.

It was Choosing Day. Typically the Masters were more subtle about picking possible Padawans, there was almost always one or two Masters who drifted in and out during practices, but this clearly was a day of assessment.

It was probably a test in and of itself to see how all of them would do under a higher stress environment because Ahsoka could sense she wasn't the only one who was suddenly nervous. In fact, it could be the Masters here were just observing how the training of the next generations was going. The High Council was responsible for the Order working smoothly, and it was always possible that no one would be chosen today, but all the same, Ahsoka had to work to keep her breathing even.

In the crowd, she found Padawan Palpatine who waved at her with a bright smile. Something relaxed in Ahsoka. Ahsoka had the current record out of all the initiates of being able to hold out the longest beside Rey during a training exercise.

In fact, last week Rey had been stopped because Ahsoka had nearly pushed herself to the point of needing to see a healer.

She couldn't tell if Master Yoda had been impressed or disappointed in Ahsoka's lack of self-awareness.

And when Master Yoda put her at the back of the line to be paired up for a duel in the giant room, she was pretty sure the latter was true.

Ahsoka watched the Masters more than the duels, the only people who looked outwardly bored was the recently knighted, Asajj Ventress, and then Master Quinlan Vos. Master Vos's once student, Knight Aayla Secura was by his side and Knight Ventress's once Master was at her side, the pale Shadow having quite the charming smile for someone who was rumoured to be one of the most deadly people in the Order. All four of them were Padawanless.

Beside Knight Sacura was Rey, and beside her Knight Kenobi, who was watching every match thoughtfully as he stroked his red beard. On the other side of him was Master Jinn, who was Master to Rey, and then Master Dooku who as a Council member was not likely to take a Padawan.

Of course, Council members did take Padawans from time to time, and for a moment Ahsoka let herself dream of someone like Master Plo Koon or Master Kit Fisto choosing her.

Rey spoke of them so warmly that she knew as intimidating as the Council could be they served on the Jedi Council because they were good people.

Well, aside from Master Dooku, there was something that terrified her about the man who dressed like a courtier and had a voice that made her think that if thunder could be sophisticated, it would sound like Master Dooku.

Still, Ahsoka would do almost anything to be chosen, and today with so many Masters being unexpectedly here, she felt her hopes rising.

It seemed to take forever for her turn to come, she tried focusing on the duels.

The initiates getting the most attention were those who were most controlled and showed the greatest handle on Niman.

Ahsoka stomped down her worry, she was not good at Niman. She wasn't a relaxed fighter and the easiest motions she hurried through. She found herself finding the pieces of Form IV and V that were in Niman to focus on, much to the disapproval of her Masters.

So naturally, it was her luck to be put up against Initiate Barriss Offee who had enough of a handle on Niman that the Masters had let her begin focusing on Form III, Soresu.

Ahsoka had never personally met Barriss, but she had heard some of the Masters speaking about her. No one doubted she would be chosen, it was just a matter of which Master wanted her most.

Ahsoka let herself glance around before bowing and initiating the fight, most eyes were on Barriss.

Rey caught Ahsoka's gaze, her smile heartening Ahsoka's resolve.

_Just be yourself, Tano, you'll waste the energy you have trying to hide yourself that you could be using to better yourself._

Ahsoka took in a deep breath and exhaled as she bowed to Barriss. When she rose, her focus was solidly on her opponent. There weren't solely Niman masters in the crowd, there were mavericks, Shadows, Sages, Council members, and Jedi she was sure were quite extraordinary in their own way.

This fight was about beating Barriss, it was showing off her potential to be one of them.

Barriss went into a defensive position, and Ahsoka took that as an invitation. Crouching low, she sprang at the older female.

Barriss was fantastically skilled, but what Ahsoka lacked in skill, she made up in persistence.

And aggression.

Minutes passed, the sizzling of green on blue, and Barriss stayed defensive, which Ahsoka found irritating but if the young Mirialan was biding her time for Ahsoka to wear out she was in for a wait.

Barriss feinted and twisted her saber, nearly managing to disarm her, but she let the blade fall and she dropped low in spin, catching her saber in backwards grip in her opposite hand.

Had it been a real fight, Ahsoka could have cut the Barriss's legs off below the knees. But that wasn't the Jedi way and Ahsoka had no desire to cause that kind of harm.

They faced each other again, and this time Barriss pressed the attack with Niman.

Ahsoka met her attacks with interest, keeping her reverse grip that felt more natural and seemed to keep Barriss off balance.

And as the duel wore on, Ahsoka felt the Force building in her, instinctively knowing she could overpower the other initiate, but focusing on where the next blows would come from.

She thought Barriss was wavering, and maybe she was, but she was also playing it up when she dropped into a defensive position. Ahsoka pushed the attack, and with a quick flip of her arm and lunge Barriss managed to disarm Ahsoka who had the split second option of dropping her weapon or have a rather impressive burn on her hand.

Barriss held the tip of her blade pointed at Ahsoka's throat before deactivating her blade and bowing to her.

Only now realizing how raggad her own breath was, and the sweat dripping down her face, did Ahsoka bow in return.

_Don't be cocky, Ahsoka_, she could hear Master Ali-Alann berating her as she summoned her saber back to her hand.

There was some clapping, though as much for the closing of the entire sparring evening as for them. Ahsoka turned to Master Yoda for his remarks as he had spoken to each pair before them, even to the handful who had been chosen as Padawans. But he wasn't looking at them, no, his focus was on the red haired knight who rose and was walking to Barriss.

Ahsoka stomped on her jealousy. Knight Kenobi had helped train Rey, if there was anyone she had truly wished to capture the attention of it was Obi-Wan Kenobi, even if he had to go by Lientaint Ben Neeson of Naboo because he currently had a record breaking bounty on his head.

But as Knight Kenobi began to speak to Barriss, Ahsoka understood why he would prefer the more talented, calmer, older, duel winner, and Soresu focused initiate over her.

"Initiate Offee," he began, "you fought well. Focused and patient. Form III demands such attention. You are well on the path to having true skill in this Form, though be aware that though Soresu requires conservation of energy to outlast your opponent, you must also exceed the speed of your foe, this is why the bladework is tight and efficient. It is, in the end, a defensive style not an offensive one."

Barriss bowed deeply, "Thank you, Knight Kenobi."

He bowed in return to her, and Ahsoka held her breath waiting for him to ask Barriss to be his Padawan. But he walked to stand before Ahsoka instead.

His face was stern and the little flare of hope died as he said in a stern tone, "Initiate Tano, your form was abysmal. Form V, or at least that is what I assume you were mimicking is direct and powerful, but against a skilled opponent your aggression and impatience was your downfall."

Her shoulders tightened but she refused to let her shoulders drop. She had heard that criticism before, but if she had been in a real fight with Barriss, with no rules, then she would have won.

Kenobi seemed to understand where her defiance came from because his expression grew more grave, "Killing and maiming one's foes is not the objective of a Jedi Knight. And is it your goal to become a Knight, Initiate Tano?"

"Yes, Knight Kenobi," she said stiffly, fighting to keep her rising indignation out of her voice. Did he have to shame her in front of so many. She could almost feel Barriss's smugness, she hadn't been chosen by Kenobi, and there was no way he would choose Ahsoka now, not if he held her in such low regard.

"Why?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, startled out of her thoughts.

"Why do you wish to become a Jedi knight?"

"Because I want to protect people," she said without thinking, "I want to- I want to be a part of something bigger than myself, I want to fight for people's freedoms."

She cursed herself, fighting not to round her shoulders as she thought over everything she had just said, analyzing how it would be interpreted and how the Masters in this room would disapprove.

Kenobi stared at her sternly, the intensity of his green-blue eyes almost frightening, but then his expression broke into a warm smile, "Your aggression and lack of a standard form aside, you were incredibly strategic in your motions. I was impressed by both your stamina and your connection to the Force. I imagine in a real duel you would have attempted a Force push?"

Caught off guard by his switch in demeanour she could only nod.

His face softened further, and Ahsoka saw why Rey spoke so warmly of this man, "Your compassion is to be admired, you could have taken Initiate Offee's legs off, I saw you see the opening. I think you even had the control to stripe just burns on her legs if you wished, but your show of restraint to use less deadly force, though ultimately losing the duel, speaks to your ability to weigh morality in the heat of battle. I am impressed, and I believe you have the makings of a true Jedi."

Ahsoka waited a moment, but when he said no more, she bowed her head, "Thank you, Knight Kenobi."

When she rose, she fully expected him to bow and move on as he had with Barriss.

Instead, he asked, "Would you like to be my Padawan, Initiate Ahsoka Tano?"

She gaped at him and almost shouted, "Yes!" She flushed, "I mean, yes, Master Kenobi, it would be an honour."

He grinned, "It will be my honour to teach you, Padawan Tano." He bowed deeply to her, hands folded in his sleeves.

She bowed to him in turn, feeling near giddy, this moment would forever be held golden in her memories. She felt the Force swell in her, swirling between them as if it were singing with her joy.

She could have hugged him.

He smiled and gestured to the bench he had been sitting at, Rey waving her over.

Ahsoka nearly flew to the spot, Rey pulling her into her hug and said, "I told you didn't have anything to worry about, little Tano."

Ahsoka pulled back, "You knew he was going to choose me?"

Master Kenobi put his hands on his hips from where he still stood in the centre of the training matts, "Rey never mentioned who she was betting on to me."

Ahsoka heard several groans and sighs among the Masters and Knights. She looked around to see credits exchanging hands between smug and exasperated Jedi. She frowned, not understanding until Master Jinn said, "I told you all betting against Rey was a mistake."

"You didn't even bet on Tano just on Rey's bet," Knight Ventress huffed, clearly annoyed.

"You all bet on who he would pick as Padawan?" Ahsoka asked, flabbergasted as the other initiates watching _Council_ _members_ gambling.

Master Kenobi pinched the bridge of his nose, "This was Master Yoda's idea, wasn't it?"

"Hhmm…" the Grandmaster mused, "teach you all not to bet against me, it will."

Several people laughed and one of the Masters who had chosen a Padawan explained to everyone the bets had been a single credit each, proving it was all in good fun rather than actually gambling.

It was still odd, but Ahsoka could appreciate the humour behind it.

Master Windu, who just passed his credit to Master Dooku, said, "Well, lets get on with it, some of us have places to be today."

Master Vos rose to his feet, "Kenobi's been boasting, too bad you're about to get defeated before your new Padawan."

Master Kenobi folded his arms, "You're one of the few, Quinlan, who has not seen me spar in recent years."

The Kiffar snorted indelicately, "I don't need to see you and Twinkle-Toes over here spar to know I always beat you in spars in the past, Kenobi."

Ahsoka's new Master didn't seem in the least daunted, and she didn't think she was the only one in the crowd who thought Vos was being overly arrogant.

They stood before each other and bowed, no further taunts passing between, and here Ahsoka realized why so many of their Order had gathered here today. Yes, five Padawans had been chosen today, herself included, but this seemed like the main attraction. Sure enough, Master Windu, who was the current battlemaster, even if it was said that Master Dooku was the better lightsaber duelist, announced to the room, "Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi stands before us today to prove his Mastery of Form III, Soresu, Way of the Mynock, the Resilience Form."

The Knight and the Master bowed to one another, and when Master Windu gave them the signal to start, Vos launched himself at Ahsoka's Master like a bat startled from its perch.

After a few moments, Ahsoka felt half exasperated with all her lightsaber teachers barring this moment.

They called her aggressive and unpredictable? Master Vos was a wild blur of fury as he went after Kenobi with everything he had.

Rey seemed to read her thoughts because she said, "He knows he can't win."

Knight Aayla Secura snorted, "Of course he thinks he can win, but he also knows yours and his reputation, there is no way to out last either of you, exercise junkies that you are."

Rey huffed, "Training is fun."

Aayla raised a brow, "Training _can be_ fun, but your definition of training is criminal," she looked at Ahsoka, "you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into, Padawan Tano."

"Oh, please," Master Sifo-Dyas said, "Rey has been training with all the initiates for years now, the upcoming generations all have _some_ idea of what to expect from our Kenobi."

Ahsoka had to agree with Master Sifo-Dyas, every initiate loved and was somewhat frightened by Padawan Palpatine whose energy and connection to the Force were boundless.

Kenobi was starting to back up in circles on the training matts as Vos blasted him with furious parry after parry. But just like Rey, Kenobi never seemed to waver in his endurance.

Ahsoka also saw that where Vos adapted some moves to his purposes, Kenobi used only the motions that she herself had faced in her duel with Barriss. Only Master Kenobi was _much_ better, so good in fact that she was pretty sure this was the very best example she had ever seen of Form III.

Master Fisto, who was a Master of Form I, said, "Excellent, most excellent. Well done, Qui-Gon, there aren't many of us who bother to learn the Forms traditionally."

Master Jinn smiled, "Obi-Wan is a Jedi to the core."

Ahsoka was both awed and a little worried by this. She knew Rey loved him, she spoke of him frequently, but a part of Ahsoka had always believed that Rey's feelings had coloured how 'wonderful' Kenobi really was.

The man who fought almost lazily with a guy who seemed like he was trying to hack his head off wasn't just wonderful, he was extraordinary.

_And he picked me! Over every other initiate, even the ones who fought better than me, he still chose me to be his Padawan!_ Ahsoka rarely thought ill of her own capabilities but as she watched her Master duel, every bystander to Jedi Shadow to High Council Member impressed, Ahsoka felt humbled and inexpressibly honoured.

Vos lasted longer than she would have imagined, fighting as he was, though she knew she had fought harder today because of the audience, she thought it must have been the same for him as Kenobi disarmed him in a graceful version of the move Barriss had used to disarm Ahsoka with.

Master Vos was panting and Knight Kenobi hadn't broken a sweat.

Appreciative applause echoed in the hall as the two bowed to one another.

Master Windu stepped forward, but it was Master Dooku who stood and announced, "Knight Kenobi is acknowledged Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for his Mastery of Soresu."

Master Windu sighed, "That is so like you, Master Kenobi. I am called a great swordsman because I invented a lethal style; but who is greater, the creator of a killing form—or the master of the classic form?"

"Greatest?" Dooku asked, a chiding note in his tone.

"Left, you did," Master Yoda said, "great duelist you remain, but invent your own From, you did not."

"Speaking of which," Master Kenobi said, "Since everyone's here to judge, I would like to put forth a Form that I would like to be recognized as the eighth Form."

Silence went through the room as well as a ripple of excitement. Ahsoka was sitting on the edge of her seat, no one had made a new for hundreds of years, even Vaapad was a sort of an adaptation of Form VII. This was history in the making, and maybe Ahsoka would have doubted just about anyone else who tried putting forth a new Form, many had tried creating their own style into a recognizable Form, but a true Form needed its own foundation separate from the others as well as separate mental state.

Master Windu raised a brow, "And what would the name of this Form VIII, Master Kenobi?"

The ginger smiled evilly, "Shono-Mii, the Way of the Butterfly."

Vos threw up his hands, turning on them, he pointed a finger at Rey as he walked back to the benches, "You are a terrible influence, Twinkle-Toes."

Rey blew him a kiss.

Ahsoka was pretty sure Vos and Rey hated each other, though she was really unclear as to why.

Master Windu asked Kenobi, "You are sure you're ready?"

"You asked which was better, a killing form or a classic form. Well, I would like to see which is better between two new forms, one of killing, one of complete surrender to the Force."

Even from a distance, Ahsoka could see the interested light in Master Windu's eyes, just as she felt the rest of the room focus on them.

Was Master Windu going to duel with someone? Really duel, not just a spare?

She curled her fingers into the bench, as if she could hold herself down from jumping up and down, even still her feet bounced her legs as she waited for the duel that she knew would start.

Master Dooku stood, taking Master Windu's spot as the key witness to this second official duel.

Ahsoka let her senses open to the Force, she didn't want to miss a moment of this.

The two Masters bowed to each other, and then it started.

Like last time, Kenobi retreated from his attacker who started at him at full tilt, but unlike when he had been using Soresu, this time he seemed to be almost flying.

Soresu was known as the resilience form, the footwork was very precise, grounded. One had to always be ready to move and dodge as well as hold ground to brace against any blow.

Form VIII was nothing like that, Kenobi's feet seemed to hardly touch the ground and he was _always_ in motion. He looked almost as if the gravity in the room had begun to ease as he twirled and flipped and twisted, and well, _hopped_ and, Ahsoka supposed danced out of the way of Master Windu's strikes.

Vaapad was a variant of Juyo, and Forms VII were variants of Form IV, Ataru. Where Ataru, as Vos had shown in the last duel, was fluid, if an aggressive Form, Vaapad was a rampant, chaotic mess of motions whose only discernible pattern was putting the opponent at odds.

Which might have worked against almost any other Form, but whatever Form Master Kenobi was using seemed, well not chaotic exactly, but random. If Windu was a hurricane, Kenobi was a leaf caught in an updraft.

"Remarkable," Vos said dryly from the other side of Aayla, "he invented a Form more obnoxious than Soresu."

Vos wasn't the only one talking now as everyone felt the Force building in the room.

Master Windu looked angry, his face a mask of contained rage, while Master Kenobi looked like he was about to slip into a meditation, his face utterly relaxed, the muscles around his eyes at ease as he danced back from Windu. Where the Vaapad Master's strikes were sweeping and jagged, the Soresu Master motions were efficient but rapid, whenever Windu managed to score a parry, the blow was glancing as Kenobi used both the motion of his body and the angle of his blade to deflect or evade his opponent.

Vos was right, it did look more like a more obnoxious version of Soresu.

Shadow Mor remarked, "How much of the Force is he channelling? It's like Ataru but no one of his power level should be able to channel this much for long. At least with Vaapad the power builds, but Obi-Wan is just expanding energy on twirls. Soresu is more efficient."

"Is it?" Master Jinn asked, "And yet Mace cannot land a single strike, and he has yet to use any energy on catching the weight of a parry."

"And he isn't channelling the Force," Rey added, "Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked, not taking her eyes off the rapid motions of the blue and purple sabers.

"Channelling implies he's using his own reserves of energy to manipulate the Force, but he isn't doing that, he's connecting to the Force and letting it manipulate him. It still takes energy, of course, because you have to be a Force sensitive in order to allow the Force to flow through you like that. But he isn't letting the Force work inside him like Mace is, he's floating on top of it, like a raft on an ocean or a butterfly-"

"On the wind," Ahsoka finished for her, more awed than ever.

"Exactly, it's a form of battle meditation and trusting the whims and currents of the Force. Sometimes, well at least for me, that it is hard to press an attack with it, but it makes for a nearly flawless defense."

As she said this, Kenobi back flipped, his blade coming up in a seamless motion to block Windu's blades as the Vaapad Master let the gravity of his own jump feed into the downward blow.

Of course, Kenobi wasn't there by the time the purple saber scored the mat with a loud hiss.

Then Ahsoka asked as her Master again leapt backwards, the Force suspending him as Windu raced to keep up, "But what if he lets go of the mediation or gets broken out of it during a jump?"

"Then he would fall," Rey said, "but it's all a matter of trust, trusting the Force, trusting your body, trusting your own motives, everything else you have to let go off, or at least be willing to let flow."

Shadow Mor shook his head, "Mace might have met his match with this one, Vaapad almost demands that the opponent is channelling the Dark side so he can throw it back at him. But Obi-Wan isn't giving him anything to return fire with, he might as well be trying to slice a particular snowflake in a blizzard."

"All I see is a modification of Soresu and Ataru, the painful strategy of the third Form, the acrobatics and reliance of the fourth Form," Vos said.

"It's more than that," Rey exclaimed with a scowl, "Ataru is like sprinting, you have to be strong and fast to hold and utilize that much of the Force, but Shono-Mii is like distance running, you aren't going at max the entire time but you are running still and it is a different type of strength, one that will slice at you in bits rather than lob your hand off."

Ahsoka glanced at Rey for a moment, then turned back to the fight, everything she said made sense as she watched. Master Windu was relentless, he was just that powerful to be able to keep up that intensity.

But Kenobi wasn't intense at all, he was gliding, only now and then did Windu have to flinch back, but mostly Master Kenobi just flitted back from every aggressive stroke.

Vos gave Rey a scathing look as he said, "No one is going to bother learning this Form, it looks like it would take insanely long to Master before it ever became useful, and the training routine for this must be sadistic."

"Especially," Master Jinn said with an ill disguised smirk, "since the amount of physical training is equalled in meditation."

"See!" Vos exclaimed, "Who would want to Master in this Form?"

"I would like to," a sing-song voice said from behind them.

Ahsoka startled and turned back to look at the petite woman standing behind Rey. It was Sage Fey, who was rumoured to be almost as old as Master Yoda.

Vos glared at her, but it was Shadow Mor who smirked at the strange woman, "You don't even have a lightsaber."

She sniffed, "I shall borrow one, this Form looks delightful." She patted Rey's shoulder, the two had an odd relationship, as if they spoke to each only through the Force.

And Ahsoka didn't think they exchanged words like some Masters and Padawans could do, but rather when Rey and Fey were in a room together, the Force just passed between them. Like to artists exchanging paintings, it was a form of communication that didn't need words, but yet expressed more and nothing wholly concrete.

Ahsoka wasn't sure who else knew this, she certainly hadn't discussed it with the other initiates, but for Ahsoka, the Force was very loud, and some things were just _clear_ to her even if she would never be as powerful as either of these two women.

A gasp went through the room.

And Ahsoka turned just in time to see Master Kenobi, who had somehow twirled against Master Windu so for a moment they were back to back, and then Kenobi had his left hand on Windu's shoulder and his right raised with his saber.

Dooku called the fight even though both men had already frozen.

Master Windu was shaking with adrenaline, his purple saber shimmering as he fought himself from turning.

Master Kenobi was steady as he kept his saber poised for a blow that would have decapitated the other man.

It took Ahsoka several seconds to realize how this had happened.

Master Kenobi had been completely fearless in the wake of Windu's discordant strikes, and the opening Kenobi has seized wasn't one for a blade, but a way to get behind the other man's spin if he was willing to bare his back and his own neck to his opponent in the mere moments it took him to complete the spin and get into his own position.

In hindsight, it was an incredible risk, but he was a Jedi, and he was following the Force, not his own, possibly sensible, knowledge of his own weaknesses.

Master Kenobi powered down his saber before Master Windu did, and when the Vaapad Master turned around, he bowed low.

Kenobi bowed in return.

Master Dooku said, "An acknowledged Master twice over this day, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"And I would acknowledge this Form as the eighth Form," Master Windu said, "for despite its similarities to others, it is less variation than Form V is of Form III or Form VI is a combination of the five forms before it. Form VIII, Shono-Mii, the Way of the Butterfly, is its own discipline."

"Acknowledge this I do," Master Yoda said into the room, as the other Council members present, and even a few of the Sages and Shadows, called out their own agreement.

Master Dooku smiled, and it was the first Ahsoka had ever seen on that so reserved man, "I might be able to kill you in a match, Obi-Wan, but I don't think I could keep up with you in a ruled match."

"And that," Master Windu said, "Master Kenobi, is the best compliment you are ever going to receive in your existence."

Master Kenobi laughed, and Ahsoka felt as a sudden wash of realization sweep over her.

And what was this realization?

The realization that she really had no clue what she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

AN: Little late, but computer problems are fixed now. Shift in tone for this chapter because Ahsoka is twelve, but I thought she deserved her own chapter. Thoughts, reactions, ideas, or Wookie hugs? See you next Thursday! Thank you reviewers, you are making isolation bearable :D


	24. Armour

Chapter 24 - Armour

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was somewhat nervous about taking on an apprentice. Rey had never wholly been his responsibility, some had been Qui-Gon's and well, no matter how protective they could all be of her, she was an extremely capable adult. This wasn't the case with Ahsoka Tano.

As his Padawan, she was in every sense, his responsibility to keep safe.

And he still had a bounty on his head.

He restrained a sigh, as he watched her warm up, all of the Council had said that it was time for him to take a Padawan learner as he both wanted one and was ready.

The price on his head was just a risk he would have to factor into everything. Which now meant staying at the Temple or going on missions to systems too remote or under disguise to keep people from realizing what he was worth in bounty. For his hair he had actually gone to a beauty technician rather than constantly dying it, it now grew in red. But he couldn't think of a way to have Ahsoka blend in with Padme's guard.

"Show me your basic forms," he said to her as she came up from a split that showed her flexibility and grace.

Obi-Wan could do flips all day, but he didn't want to guess at all the muscles he would rip if he tried doing that.

She nodded, and he could feel her nervousness about him.

It brought back memories of how he had felt around Qui-Gon, but Obi-Wan would make sure that Ahsoka never doubted that he wanted her to be his Padawan, even if he was starting to get the feeling that this girl was going to make his life interesting.

Her motions were rushed, she pulled too soon out of some steps and swung too deeply into others.

"Is holding your blade in a reverse grip your preferred hold?" he asked.

"Yes, Master Kenobi," she said, looking as if she were waiting for him to dig in on about all the disadvantages to that.

But Obi-Wan had helped train Rey, someone who was passing with a normal lightsaber but excelled with a dual bladed staff despite the extra skill she had needed to develop to use the weapon effectively.

"Then when you practice use a reverse grip."

Her eyes went wide, "You- I mean everyone else-"

"I am not everyone else," he said, "lightsabers are personal weapons, there is nothing to be gained by conformity if a slight adaptation is best suited to you. However," he saw the worry spring back to life on her face, "it does mean you will have to train harder, and there will be fewer people who can advise you well with that grip."

"Yes, Master Kenobi," she said and continued through another round of basics with a gesture from him.

"Better," he said, coming to stand beside her, igniting his own saber and reversing the grip. He had enough practice with Rey's saberstaff that the downward facing blade wasn't foreign to him, even if it felt strange to hold his own saber like this. He went through the basic motions with her.

She paced herself better following his timing. He wondered how long it would take to build a Master and Padawan bound with her. She wasn't the powerhouse that Rey was, almost no one was, but Ahsoka was powerful in her own right.

He did three more rounds with her, pleased that the corrections he emphasised in his own motions she picked up. Her physical intelligence was remarkable.

Obi-Wan stopped to watch her do another sequence. He frowned, one problem with the reverse hold was that it left her side exposed, as all Forms were designed with a front facing blade she would have to work harder to crossguard her vulnerable side.

He had seen Asajj flip her blades on occasion, despite her focus in Makashi that was almost solely a front facing grip.

"Padawan Tano," he called before tossing his lightsaber hilt to her.

She caught it easily, eyes wide, "Master?"

He smiled, "Try two blades with the reverse grip, neither of those sabers are truly designed for it but most Jedi don't keep the blades they made as initiates. We can make a trip to Ilum easily enough."

She bit her lip, nodding her head in answer.

He realized she was trying to hold her tongue. He fought not to laugh, Rey had only told him a few stories last night as they were preparing for bed. He didn't know Ahsoka yet, but he was under no delusions that she was going to remain the quiet respectful Padawan she was trying to be at the moment. However, this was their first day together, he was going to cherish this memory of obedience.

Her teenage years were probably going to be a nightmare. He had always tried to be good for Qui-Gon because his own place as Padawan had been put in doubt once too often. But he had counselling sessions with others, Master Dooku included, and he knew that happy and secure Jedi teenagers were a special type of fun to raise.

Ahsoka let out a happy sigh as she walked through the motions with the two blades. The bit of jerkiness she had had while trying to cross the reach of reverse grip was smoothed over with the presence of the second blade. Her steps were marked by a lethal grace that reminded Obi-Wan of the style that Mor used with his metal short swords.

"Is Jar'Kai something you would be interested in then?" he asked.

She stopped, a wide smile on her lips, "Yes! This feels so natural! I didn't think you would let me…" she cut herself off, finishing awkwardly, "Thank you, Master Kenobi."

He raised a brow, amused, "You thought I would be stiff and traditional?"

She pressed her lips together, "I mean, you did Master Soresu, but then, I didn't know until yesterday that you were making your own Form."

He shook his head, it probably wasn't a good sign that she looked on Soresu as too defensive and traditional, but then he didn't choose her because she was like him. He chose her because he thought she might be able to keep up with him. Besides, he hadn't exactly been calm and disciplined at her age either. No, that had come in his rebellious years when Qui-Gon had shown his true colours as a contrary and maverick. The only way to rebel against such a Master was to be rule abiding and traditional.

"Master?" she began hesitantly drawing him from his thoughts, "Are you, I mean would you train me in Form VIII?"

He suppressed a smile, trying to keep his face stern, "I certainly can."

Her smile was as bright as Rey's, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yes, but don't blame me a year from now when you find yourself wanting to murder me in my sleep."

Her expression fell in confusion, "What?"

Shaking his head again, he said only, "I am not a Master of Jar'Kai but I understand the adaptations, before you can move on to learning Form VIII, you need to relearn the basics with the two sabers. Tonight I would like you to meditate on what you will like your saber design to be. And tomorrow you can start to research in the archives on other Jar'Kai Masters and saber designs. Whenever you feel you have a blueprint for sabers you would like, we can plan a trip to Ilum. Until then, you can use my saber for practice."

As if she couldn't help herself she blurted out, "Do you like using a blaster?" Indicating the one on his belt despite that he was wearing his robes as opposed to his Nubian uniform.

"It's a barbaric weapon, but handy for long range targets."

"Oh," she said awkwardly.

He smiled, "Practice the basics, we can review formal adaptations for Jar'Kai after you've familiarized yourself with the feel of them. When I return, I expect you to still be practising the foundational forms."

"How long?"

"Until I get back?"

Again she bit her lip.

Nope, he didn't think this easygoingness was going to last long.

"I mean," she began respectfully, "how long will we focus on the basics?"

He stroked his beard and said casually, "My Master kept me on the basics until I was seventeen."

Her jaw actually dropped, her blue eyes filling with horror.

He pressed a knuckle to his lips as if in thought, but he was really hiding a smile, "But we will see. I created a variation of the basics for Form VIII, so you will not be stuck studying exactly what the initiates are doing."

She almost looked as if she was about to cry as she fought herself not to argue with him.

Obi-Wan would explain to her later, once she calmed down some, just why Qui-Gon had had him train in the basics so long, as opposed to waiting until he had been seventeen to explain his thought process.

Communication had not been Qui-Gon's strong point.

"I will see you in a few hours," he said, bowing to her.

She bowed in return, "Yes, Master Kenobi."

He had to suppress another smile as he heard her sigh loudly as he left the room.

oOo

"Rey?" Obi-Wan asked in suspicion, "Why are we having tea here?"

They were near one of the lower levels beside the pool rooms. There was a waterfall here, one that he knew too well.

Bruck had died here and Bant had nearly spent enough time underwater that even she had almost drowned.

"I've never spent time here before," she said as a non-answer, passing him a thermos of tea.

Should he tell her? But he wasn't particularly in the mood to relive the trials Xanatos had put him, his friends, and Qui-Gon through. At least not today, his mind was busy with fresh worries of taking on a Padawan of his own.

"You will do fine, Obi-Wan," Rey told him, correctly identifying his worry but missing that part of the tension was the sound of the rushing fall. "You're going to be an amazing Master, I know you were for me."

He sighed, tapping his fingers on the thermos, "I still have a death threat hanging over my head, I disagree with the Council that I should be taking a Padawan at this time."

"It's been four years," Rey said. "You've been trapped on Coruscant, in the Senate with a bunch of politicians, except for the annual trips to Naboo. No one has been able to uncover your secret identity yet."

She wasn't wrong, a uniform and red hair, plus the beard, had seemed to fool pretty much everyone, even if he spent half his nights in his own room at the Temple. But then Padme spent a lot of her time in the Temple as well, fitting well into his disguise.

"But someone is going to figure it out with a Padawan following me around."

"You've kept Padme safe through how many assassination attempts now?"

"Fourteen," he sighed, thinking that as agonizing as the hours spent in the Senate could be, the last four years had been far from boring.

Plus, he had grown quite fond of Padme, Sabe, and their entourage.

Padme had been officially appointed Senator Padme Nabarrie Amidala, while Sabe had been officially voted in as Queen of Naboo. The assassination attempts on the Queen had stopped, meaning that someone had known about Padme being the Senator.

Obi-Wan was just grateful no one was targeting the Nabarrie family. Padme's sister Sola had just had a baby, and it would have broken his heart if anything happened to that little one.

"You're going to miss them, aren't you?"

He didn't answer. This wasn't the first time in his life he had felt divided loyalties, not that he would ever conceive of turning on the Jedi. But at some point, and he wasn't sure exactly when, he had become one of Padme's people. Her inner circle was one that was as close as a family, a family that would very much kill and die for one another.

"You love her."

He looked up at her sharply, "Padme?"

Rey smirked, "No, Panaka. Of course, Padme."

He shook his head, "No more than you do. If she wasn't working all the time I think Padme would much prefer your company to mine."

"Jealous?" she asked sweetly.

He rolled his eyes, "Hardly, you two are frightening together. I am so glad you aren't a politician."

"So you're not at all upset about Palo?"

He raised a brow, "Rey, I'm not interested in Padme. Besides, Palo is a kind person. I actually like his artwork and I typically don't care much for paintings."

"I think he's boring."

"You haven't met him," he said, smiling, "are you sure you are not the one whose jealous?"

She shook her head, "You would be better for her than him."

He spun the top off the Thermos, "Padme is my charge, and perhaps a friend, but nothing more."

"Have you spoken to Satine recently?"

He gave her a look, "No, I haven't. What is with you today?"

She shrugged.

Narrowing his eyes, he reached out with the Force, brushing his thoughts against hers as he leaned into her space. She was shielding, she had gotten better, good enough that she could keep him and Qui-Gon out without cutting herself off from the Force. But not always when they were close enough to make eye contact with her. "Was that your round about way of asking me if I still have feelings for Satine?"

Rey flushed, "Maybe."

He pulled back with a chuckle, Rey had good enough sense for people but a horrible sense of relationships between people. "To answer your unasked question, no, I do not have feelings for Satine. Though I still think well of her."

"Have you been keeping up with the news on Mandalore?"

He sipped the tea, it was good, lavender with a tangy aftertaste. "No, but from your tone, I'm guessing it isn't good."

"There's been a few attempts on her life."

His heart hurt to hear that, "Have they asked for Jedi aid?"

"No," Rey said, "And from what Harris told me it is probably best if they don't, I think if anyone from the Order tries to interfere things would escalate."

"Of that, sadly, I have no doubt."

Force be with her, he thought. After four years in the Senate arena, he had a whole new appreciation for rulers, especially for young females that everyone seemed to underestimate.

Padme had turned that fact into a weapon to wield against her foes, he wondered if Satine had as well. He wasn't even sure he could wrap his head around just how Satine ruled, pacifism wasn't the worst of governing ideas for Inner Rim planets, but Satine's people were warriors. Maybe Padme might know more about it than he did. He sometimes saw Satine in the Senate building, but she didn't often speak. Unlike Padme who very much had a thought for every topic.

But then Padme was in several committees, and Satine was only the representative for Mandalore, a planet that did not have a long history of asking for outside aid. Most of the time, they asked for the exact opposite.

Obi-Wan was also pretty sure that if he had wanted further insight into the issues on Mandalore, all he would have to do was ask Dooku who would certainly have opinions. Dooku and Mace had been tag teaming the Senate, Dooku as Count of Serreno, Mace as the representative of the Jedi.

The Senate seemed a little harried to have the views of the Jedi be so vocal when in recent history they had been silent agents of the Republic. Dooku allowed them to have more than one voice, which Obi-Wan had thought would be called out as an unfair influence. But even in public Dooku and Mace couldn't agree on everything, giving the appearance that Serreno was still independent of the Jedi even if both Mace and Dooku both held seats on the Jedi council.

He felt his thoughts begin to wander, and he sipped the tea, it was getting cold, cold enough that he drank it like water.

He was thirsty.

The rushing of the waterfall was making him thirsty. He watched the water, and the image of Bruck's broken body bein-

He tried to chase the image away, to not remember the sound of his-

"What type of tea is this?" he asked, lifting the thermos, or tried to… He had drunk all of it, shouldn't it be lighter now than it had been emptied?

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," Rey's voice told him.

"I don't want to be here…" he told her, his words slowing, "Rey, why… why are we here?"

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," she said again, "But there is an exit from the Temple from here, it will take a long time before anyone discovers where we went."

"What?" he asked, fighting to focus on her face as he slumped toward her.

She caught him with gentle hands, and the unbidden image of Bruck's body came to him again. Xanatos had been right, Bruck's death had been his fault. "I don't want to be here…" he said again, or tried to, the words that spilled from his mouth were slurred.

"It's alright, Obi-Wan, it won't hurt."

What wouldn't hurt? Black spots swam across his vision and the sound of the fall felt deafening. What was happening to him?

_The tea!_ His wandering thoughts supplied, but that thought just made him more confused as she helped him lie down.

"You drugged me?" he was too confused, the question was stupid. Rey would never hurt him.

So why wasn't she calling for help?

"Yes, didn't you think it was odd I only brought tea for you?" she asked lightly.

"Rey?" he asked, starting to panic now even as his spiralling thoughts slowed.

He was so terribly tired.

Rey was leaning over him, brushing his hair back from his face, "Yes, Obi-Wan?"

She sounded reasonable. Was he dreaming this?

"Why?"

"Because I joined the Dark Side."

"What?" he asked, if he wasn't so tired he would have debated the ludicrously of that, his Rey could channel the Dark Side but she would never join with it. But his thoughts were so muddled, he just wanted to sleep.

"Stop fighting it, Obi-Wan, all will be made right, I promise."

"Dark Side?" he asked, no longer able to see her face, so he reached for her in the Force.

"I couldn't pass up the cookies," he thought she said, but he couldn't be sure. She kissed his brow, "Sleep, Obi-Wan, you're safe."

He fought then, because he heard a note of distress in her tone where there hadn't been before. He tried calling out to Qui-Gon, but Obi-Wan was already too far gone.

* * *

It was Ahsoka's first day of training with her new Master, and despite his leaving the room, she refused to fail him or slack off.

So she practised, and practised.

The basics.

She had by no stretch of the imagination mastered the basics, but that was because she felt that something like Ataru, or something like Form VIII, might be vastly more suited to her. Shii-Cho was boring.

Was Master Kenobi really going to keep her on basics until she was seventeen? Five years of training with nothing but the basics? But why?

She didn't have the answer, but she told herself it wasn't because he believed she was incompetent, because A. she couldn't imagine that even as a Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi had been so wholly unproficient at lightsaber duelling that his Master found him that lacking, and B. Master Kenobi had given her _his_ lightsaber.

She knew what a big deal that was, plus he had encouraged her to use a backward grip, unlike any other Master who had taught her in the past, _and_ he said he would train her in Jar'Kai, the double-lightsaber arts. She had never thought of wielding two blades, but it felt right.

With all this in mind, Ahsoka put her heart into training. Sure, the basics might eventually get boring, but for now, she was being given free rein to use the grip she wanted and was sorting through the technicalities of wielding two blades.

So she practised without complaint.

Two hours passed and she had finally found a rhythm for the two blades.

By hour three she lost the desire to rush through the motions, she lost her tendencies to alter her motions and instead fought to keep each swipe as regular as the repetition before it.

At hour four, she understood why people had warned her about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Why hadn't he come back?

She needed a break, but what if he came back at that moment?

She was drenched in her own sweat and she needed water.

She was also hungry.

But mostly thirsty.

Her arms were shaking, and when her hand slipped, she almost burned herself with the blades.

So she turned them off, still gripping the hilts with sweaty hands.

She waited, and waited and finally, _finally,_ she lost her temper.

He had forgotten about her!? Her Master had forgotten about her!

Their first day of training and he had forgotten her!

Angrily, she limped to the Masters quarters. This was ridiculous. If he didn't have a good reason for forgetting about her, she was going to ask Yoda if she could go back to being an initiate.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was a crazy, arrogant, air head!

She found his room, the one she knew Rey shared with him.

Ahsoka knew Rey loved her, and because of that, the older Padawan would be mad on her behalf too.

She was still holding both hilts, and she used the butt of _his_ to knock on the door.

Loudly, though not as rapidly she would have liked, she was too exhausted to do even that much.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi!" she yelled when no answer came, leaving off his title rather than swearing at him.

The door to the right of the one she had just pounded on swished open.

Master Qui-Gon Jinn frowned at her, "Padawan Tano?"

Shamed, she lowered her arm from the door. She looked at her feet, exhaustion heavy on her, "Apologies, Master Jinn."

"Ahsoka?" he asked, his tone worried.

What was she supposed to say? She was mad at her new Master? On her first day as a Padawan no less?

A gentle hand touched her chin, tilting her face up to him, she had to fight back tears. She couldn't stop the tremors in her body as the sweat cooling and the exertion of the day began to catch up with her fully.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

She blinked fast, "Master Kenobi left me to practice on my own. He said I could stop when he came back, but he didn't!" she winced at the whine in her own tone.

But Master Jinn didn't chastise her for her tone as he looked over her again, "How long have you been training?"

"Six hours!" she exploded, her voice high.

His expression darkened and he too turned to the door, pounding a fist against it. "Obi-Wan," he called, voice dangerous.

No response.

He opened the door. The room was neat, two beds, a desk with a stack of flimsies and two datapads. On Rey's bed was her staff.

Ahsoka found that deeply disturbing. Rey never went anywhere without that staff.

Master Jinn entered the room, examining the space closely, the refresher door was open and empty. He picked up the staff and looked to Ahsoka, "You have Obi-Wan's lightsaber?"

She looked down at the offending hand, "He- he gave it to me so I could get used to two sabers."

Master Jinn nodded. "Come," he said, leading her to his room, Rey's staff still held in his hand. Once they were inside the room filled with an assortment of things, driftwood, river stones, he ordered, "Sit down."

She sat down on one of the cushioned seats, leaning on the low table for support.

He tossed the saberstaff on his own bed and went to the sink and poured a tall glass of water which he handed to her, "Drink, Padawan. You did well today, but you do not have to push yourself this hard, especially if a Master is not present in the room with you."

She downed the entire glass before she could muster an answer, "Thank you, Master Jinn." He refilled her glass, this one she forced herself to drink slower.

"Did Obi-Wan mention where he was going?"

She shook her head, and he pulled out his comm.

"Obi-Wan, come in," he paused for a moment before trying again, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

No answer.

The worry in her gut grew.

Master Jinn switched the frequency, "Rey, come in."

No answer.

"Padawan mine, answer me."

Again, the channel remained empty.

He lowered the comm, and closed his eyes.

Ahsoka could feel him connect with the Force.

He was quiet for a full sixty seconds.

He raised his comm to his lips for a third time, and this time it was answered immediately.

Ahsoka's hopes that it was Master Kenobi died when her heightened hearing picked up, "Qui-Gon this isn't-"

"Dooku, Obi-Wan is missing. I can feel that he is alive but unresponsive, Rey is shielding against me and she left her staff in their room."

A brief silence, then Master Dooku said, "We will send out search parties."

Master Jinn nodded, pocketing the comm he turned to Ahsoka, "I need you to stay here, you're no shape to help with the search."

Leaving the staff on the bed he went to the door, turning back, he offered, "We will find him, Ahsoka."

And he left before she could respond, only then did it hit her why she should have been worried.

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi had the largest price on his head that had been seen in fifty years.

She sat there, alone in the Temple at a loss as to what she should do.

* * *

Finally, Rey's comm lit up.

"You know," Harris said, one of three Mandalorians that had come to help her, "I knew it was possible for us to kill a Jedi, I just think it would be this easy."

Maas nodded, "Six hours? We could have been off world by now."

Rey sighed, "It is rather disappointing."

"Just another reason you should leave the Order," Chakraborty said.

"Agreed," Maul said in a growl, his elbow resting on Obi-Wan's 'unconscious' body.

She rolled her eyes at them, "Thanks for the support, guys."

"We support you," Harris argued, "We just know you can do better than being a Jedi."

Rey shook her head, knowing it was pointless to argue with them. Then an idea occurred to her. The five of them had spent the last six hours discussing weapons, bounties, and the finer details and possible scenarios of their plot, but for once, she had a semi-political question. "What do you all think of Duchess Satine?"

Harris snorted, Maas made a rude sound, Chakraborty scowled, and Maul… well, Maul's sour expression didn't really change.

"Not a fan?" she asked.

"She's going to start a civil war," Maas exploded, "I'm not a supporter of Death Watch but our Duchess isn't giving us a lot of options."

"Maas isn't allowed to make weapons anymore," Harris clarified.

"What?" Rey asked, "but you're a Master!"

"I'm allowed to repair authorized weapons and make armour," Maas said bitterly, "But most of my creations are now regulated to my sketches. I hate her."

"We are a warrior people," Chakraborty said, "She isn't just dishonouring our history and ancestors, she's taking away who we are."

"Why do you ask?" Harris asked, "Are you considering moving, perhaps?"

"Satine Kryze is my maternal grandmother," she said seriously.

They all stared at her, and finally, Harris said, "Satine is too young to be your grandmother, you're near enough to the same age."

"Just like Obi-Wan is too young to be my grandfather," she answered coolly.

Maul was squinting at her, clearly trying to pick out a lie through the Force.

Maas asked, his voice full of concern, "Are you alright, Rey?"

She nodded, her face breaking into a smile, "Sorry, it was just how the ancestry test came back."

"What?" Harris asked.

"Satine and Obi-Wan both came back as my maternal grandparents, but as that is impossible the healer said that they are actually my aunt and uncle, my mother is their sister, or was, we still don't know who she is really."

"Wait," Chakraborty said, holding out his hand, "Are you telling us you're related to Duchess Satine Kryze?"

Maul followed up that question, "Obi-Wan Kenobi is your relative, through blood?"

"Yes to both questions. It really skeeved them out apparently, knowing that they share a sibling. Obi-Wan didn't want to track down his birth parents, so we don't exactly know how the cards fell per se, but I can say without a doubt I am related to them both."

Chakraborty grabbed her wrist, "You're related to the Kryze's, definitively?"

Rey gave him a look, "Yes, that's why I wanted to know about her. But by what you have described, heck even what Obi-Wan described of her, Sheev isn't only one who makes me glad I was picked up by the Jedi Order. I'll fight for peace, but pacifism is not the way."

"Rey-" Chakraborty said, then shook his head, softening his voice, "Rey, if you could prove relation to the Kryze family, you could replace Satine as our Duchess."

It was her turn to gape at him, "Chakraborty, I am not a politician."

"But-"

"We need to move," Maul said, standing to pull Obi-Wan's 'unconscious' body onto the back of his one person speeder.

"Who knew making friends with a Jedi would give us the best opportunity to purposefully piss off Jedi?" Harris said as he too straddled his speeder and put on his helmet.

Rey could feel the merriment of her friends and realized that the next thirty minutes was going to be _interesting._ "Nobody is allowed to kill anyone and don't die."

"Pssh," Maas jested, "and here I thought we were going to have fun."

Rey put on her own helmet, Maas having brought an entire Mandalorian armour set for her.

She was at that fully convinced that their offer to join them was in earnest, though really, Tolkien continuing her language lessons should have been proof enough.

They rose in their speeders, and she checked over her shoulder, careful to keep her presence hidden. Maul's teaching techniques for shielding had been far more useful then what the Jedi had tried teaching her. Disguising herself in the 'mundane' as Maul had put it was a lot easier than trying to build walls against the Force. It was like spreading her powers thin, letting the Force itself hide her rather than trying to bury herself within her own body.

They started moving through the streets, and some siren went off as Obi-Wan body was spotted by the policing droids.

Rey checked over her shoulder again, she caught a glimpse of a dark skinned figure, a dark cloaked man with blonde hair, and a white skinned female.

She cursed. "Windu, Asajj, and the Mor," she said into voice piece in her helmet. Maul was only one of them not wearing armour, "all of them will use deadly force, do not engage."

Harris laughed in her ear and Chakraborty said, "Guess we are just going to have to fly better and faster."

Rey was beginning to have strong doubts about this plan, but said, "Stay in view of the droids."

It was their plan 'D' and as she switched over her speeder into high gear, she let the worries go, and let herself go into the race.

Windu tracked her, Asajj tracked Maul, and Mor started chucking throwing stars and knives at them.

Mandalorians, a Dark Sider, and Rey, a Padawan in Mandalorian armour against a Council Member, a Shadow, a Shadow in training, and a growing army of police droids.

The bystanders were the real ones in danger. But Rey had hired her friends with the direct instruction that no one, but possibly her, gets hurt.

They flew, dodging and weaving. Rey heard Asajj call to Maul who was riding ahead of her, "You found the wrong calling-!" the word she said then Rey didn't understand.

But Maul did, because he spun his speeder over hers, and with some trick that even Rey's mind couldn't follow, he got a hold of one of Asajj's lightsabers and sliced a piece off her speeder.

But Asajj Ventress was vindictive, not a common quality amongst the Jedi Knights, though less uncommon among Jedi Shadows. With her remaining saber, she gutted Maul's speeder.

Asajj was forced to make a crash landing, and Maul let his speeder explode against a concrete wall, respectfully not hurting any bystanders.

He had Obi-Wan's 'unconscious' body by the belt, as he settled behind Rey on her speeder.

"Are you sitting on Obi-Wan?" she asked him as his arm wrapped around her, one of Asajj's stolen sabers in his free hand.

"We are paying him enough," Maul growled.

Rey, herself, wasn't taking a piece of the prize, that wasn't her goal here.

She sped up, grateful for the helmet keeping the wind out of her eyes, Mace wasn't so lucky, a fact she took advantage of as she skimmed a water fountain.

Maul used the saber to run through the fountain, causing steam to rise, obscuring Mace's vision momentarily.

"Watch out!" Maas's voice called out, and the four of them swerved like flying geese as a line of blaster fire came at them.

"You weren't joking about the Mor," Harris said, coming up beside her speeder, a throwing star embedded in the back of his helmet.

"You okay?" she asked.

She could almost hear his answering grin, "This is the most fun I've had in years."

"Quit jabbering and dive," Chakraborty commanded, and they did, following a port entrance to the underground.

The lower level streets cleared like panic ants at the sound of sirens.

Maas abandoned his speeder, turning it into natural so it floated harmlessly down to be stolen to the first scoundrel who came across it. He landed on Harris's speeder. Back to back, Maas pulled two compacted rivals and began firing on the police droids, causing Mace and Mor to constantly weave out of the way, the underground streets constricting their movements.

Rey had altered the speeders that they were riding now. Mace and Mor had the Force, but Rey knew how to tinker with a speeder. They weren't necessarily better pilots, they just had superior technology.

Something Maas seemed completely delighted by.

Of course, they didn't call the Shadow, _the Mor_ without reason. Because the madman had no trouble boomeranging his yellow lightsaber at Chakraborty.

He leapt out of the way just in time as the speeder was totalled. Harris caught his hand and Chakraborty slid into the driver's position without missing a beat.

Maul let go of Rey's waist, and because she had been training with him for nearly five years now, slowed down, knowing his plan, even if she disagreed with it.

And then she thought maybe it was just a male thing, because then Mor, like Maas, abandoned his speeder to jump onto the front of Mace's speeder.

Maul had one foot planted on Obi-Wan's back, the other wedged, between the 'unconscious' body and Rey's seat as the green blade met gold.

Rey was careful to keep the speeder steady. They couldn't be shot out of the sky because Mace and Mor had realized Obi-Wan was still alive.

Maul hissed at Mor as their sabers sparked against one another.

Maas had stopped shooting at Mace's speeder and merely watched the duel taking place between the two speeders. "You know," he mused, "I get it, why you stay in the Order, lightsaber duels are nifty."

Maul snarled, "You don't have to be a Jedi to wield a lightsaber."

Mor, who obviously thought the Zabrak had been speaking to him, "I didn't think Nightbrothers had high enough-"

Maul nearly trimmed Mor's hair.

"Is he a Sith?" Mace asked.

Maul bared his teeth as he parried Mor's blade, Maul's skill far out wayed Mor's abilities with a saber.

Which wasn't exactly saying much, Rey could match Mor, but then Rey had never faced Mor when he had the intent to kill.

"Are you a Sith?" Mor asked, his voice calm as he met Maul's every violent blow with a violent blow.

Atura was difficult in a static position.

Obi-Wan probably could have kicked both Maul and Mor's asses if he was fighting from a standing position on a speeder.

Maul twisted his saber, disarming Mor and just reflecting the small explosive Mor tossed at his face.

It exploded to the left of them.

"He could have killed you three with that!" Harris exclaimed in outrage.

"I told you he would use deadly force," she called back over her head piece.

"Speed up," Maul said, grabbing Obi-Wan's belt and tossing the man to Chakroborty.

Mor cursed loud enough for Rey to hear him over the wind and through the helmet as Obi-Wan's form dropped mere feet in front of them down to the waiting bench of Chkroborty's speeder.

Mace tried following, but Chakraborty had already spun down two back streets.

Rey activated a few more alarms, but she too lost them.

And just as publicly as they appeared, they were lost in the villinary of the underground.

The Mor and Mace were left fumbling for a direction to take.

Maul sat back behind Rey, and said for only her ears, "That was worth it."

* * *

Maul was entirely too pleased with himself. A Shadow and Master Mace Windu had come face to face with him, and not called him out as a Sith.

Sure, they had asked, but he knew the reputations of Shadows, and they would have followed him, not their lost Jedi, if they really believed he was one.

As he, Rey, and the Mandalorians waited for the cashing in of their prize, he felt that the Force was with them.

And perhaps if the Jedi Council responded ill with Rey's chosen actions, or perhaps when the Shadow and Council Member caught up with them, they would attack without asking questions.

If they did, Maul knew it wouldn't be enough to drive her to the Dark Side, but it might be enough to drive her from the Order.

"What in the bloody hells do you mean it is a false account!?" the Mando named Harris exploded.

The guild leader, a human male with beady eyes looked green. "I mean- it was a scam?"

Maas caught the man by the collar, "Are you telling us that we just went up against the Jedi Order and you aren't going to pay us?"

"I- I-"

"Well, well, well," the Shadow said from behind him, "it seems you all just signed away your lives for lifetime imprisonments on an empty promise."

Maul twirled the man's saber in his hand, "Is that what you think?"

Chakraborty moved in front of his men and Rey, "I didn't think the Jedi enforced speeding tickets on Coruscant."

The female Dathimorian moved from behind her Master's back, Windu at her other side as she snarled, "Is that what you think your crimes are?"

Chakraborty chuckled, "Maul is going to be a good Zabrak and give you back your lightsabers."

Maul bared his teeth, that was unlikely.

"Maul?" the Shadow repeated looking at him more closely, "Rey's friend? She'll never forgive you for hurting Obi-Wan."

Oh, he was aware, _if_ he ever harmed a hair that man's head, Rey would gut him. No matter how far he pushed her to the edge, she would never betray Obi-Wan Kenobi.

But for the first time the thought didn't make him see red.

Why was that?

"I told her you were an idiot male," Asajj Ventress sneered at him, "you proved me correct today."

Maul sneered right back, "She told me you were impulsive. It was not hard to knock you from your perch, _youngling."_

She hissed at him.

He hissed back.

Windu took a step forward, "Give us Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Loosening his grip on the guild leader who had been slowly turning blue, Maas asked, "Are you going to give us our money?"

"There was no money!" the man gasped, "It was a shell account! Please, Jedi! Save me."

Maas dropped him and Harris punched him, at the same moment, Asajj ignited her remaining green saber and Windu ignited his purple lightsaber.

Maul would have drawn one of the two he had stolen, but Rey caught his arm, stepping forward.

"Surrender," Windu said.

Rey took off her helmet, wisps of brown hair escaping from her three buns, and Maul would never forget the expression on the other three Jedi's faces.

The Shadow palmed his face, "Damnit, Palpatine! I could have killed you!"

Chakraborty chuckled, "Amazing Foundling, even now they trust you wouldn't betray them."

Maul scowled, "Not them, they know she wouldn't betray Obi-Wan."

Rey glanced back at the guild leader, "Is the bounty cleared now?"

The man, who seemed to not understand who Rey was nor the significance of what she was saying, said, "Yes, but no money. It'll get out that the prize was fake, no one will believe a hit on him real again. No one will risk an empty promise while going after a Jedi Master."

"You mean no one sane," Harris corrected cheekily, and Maul understood that the man correctly identified himself as not sane.

Maul sighed, handing the two lightsabers he had stolen to Rey who immediately tossed them back to their true owners.

"Explain, Padawan," Windu said, "And your friends aren't going anywhere. You put Obi-Wan in untold danger doing this."

"Not going anywhere?" Harris asked, "Really, Jedi? Is that what you think?"

Maas laughed as he threw down a smoke grenade.

Maul tugged on Rey's Padawan braid in a brief farewell, before making himself scarce along with the Mandalorians.

Just because he had successfully hidden his Sith training despite his wielding a lightsaber, did not mean he wanted to be integrated by a Jedi Shadow and a Council member known for his dabbling in the Dark.

No, Rey could take care of herself.

He could only hope that her punishment would put a wedge between her and the Order.

* * *

Ahsoka couldn't stay still.

Yes, she was tired, yes, her muscles were screaming at her with every step, and yes, Master Jinn had told her to stay put.

But she had to follow the Force, something was driving her, and following her instincts, she went down to one of the ground floors.

She followed the Force, and it led her to a waterfall.

"Master Kenobi!" she dropped to her knees, and shook the man, "Master Kenobi! Please, wake up!"

And miracles of miracles, he did.

Blinking blurry eyed up at her, the first words out of his mouth were, "I am going to kill Palpatine."

* * *

Dooku was trying hard not to laugh as he watched his old Padawan try to glare down an unremorseful Padawan.

"It was the only way," Rey was saying.

"You risked your life!" this from Mor, "And Obi-Wan-"

"Obi-Wan was fine!" she shouted back, "I barely even drugged him. It was just an extremely strong sleeping aid that he could be woken from, as Ahsoka was able to do. We hired the shapeshifter for that reason."

"I threw a bomb at your head!" Mor shouted at her.

Obi-Wan's face was a mask of horror, "You did what!?"

"I was trying to save you," Mor told him.

"By throwing a bomb at the person holding me?"

"It was a localized bomb, it would have only punched a fist side chunk out of her head, or Maul's chest."

"But you said she was driving, and Maul was there?"

Dooku was amused by all the shouting happening in the Council chamber, the Council chamber typically was the place where people sat around and answered questions calmly with the occasional swift take down and responding raised voice. Atypically the place where Master Jedi got in one another's faces over choices made in the heat of speeder races.

Poor Padawan Ahsoka was looking between them all in wide eyed horror, (or was it fascination?), hard to tell.

Windu shook his head, "Yes, the male Zabrak was there, and Padawan Palatine, I must ask, is he a Dark Sider?"

Dooku's interest in the details of this otherwise straight forward plot rose.

Rey had hired a group of Mandalorians to 'collect' on Obi-Wan's bounty. They had made it public, used a shapeshifter as an Obi-Wan decoy, and had purposely pissed off the Jedi Order in front of multiple cameras to make it all seem real.

But Dooku hadn't thought Rey would employ an actual Dark Sider.

Yet it wasn't Rey who answered, but Asajj, "He wasn't anything special. He was strong in the Force, but not that strong. He was competent enough pickpocket and wary enough to not stab himself on a lightsaber, something most Dathamirians are capable of."

Dooku tried focusing on Rey through the secondary bond between himself, Qui-Gon, and her, but whatever Maul was or wasn't, Rey was at peace with it, and her emotions did not spike in any direction at Asajj's words.

"I don't understand why you had to drug me," Obi-Wan said, moving on with the conversation.

"I needed you to be convincing."

"I was unconscious!"

"Exactly," she said smugly, "you played your part to perfection."

Dooku swallowed another laugh as Qui-Gon pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Unacceptable, this is," Master Yoda said, "Well intentioned you were, but dangerous, were your actions. Decided the Council had been, to proceed with your trials, Padawan Palpatine. But Qui-Gon's Padawan shall you remain for another year."

"Okay," Rey said with a smile, as if he had just rewarded her rather than punished her.

This time, he did chuckle, receiving a glare from Qui-Gon, Mace, and Master Yoda.

Obi-Wan, however, was not done with the conversation. And he was about to show them all why he _had_ earned the rank of Master and why the Council had pushed him to take a Padawan despite the risks of that bounty.

A bounty that was no longer an issue.

"Rey," Obi-Wan began, "I know your intentions were well meant, but by not including more of us in on this idea, you put lives at risk-"

"But I made sur-"

Obi-Wan held up a hand, halting her protests.

"I left Ahsoka to practice on her own with the intention of returning in less than forty-five minutes, but because of you, she was left alone for six hours, and she practised for six before coming to find me."

Real remorse crossed Rey's expression then and she looked at the younger Padawan. "'Soka, I am so, so sorry… I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't," Obi-Wan interjected, "because there is no way for you to plan for every eventuality, which is why plots like yours could have backfired so badly. You have to trust in the Order as much as you trust in the Force or we will fall apart. You only wanted to help, and I am relieved to have the bounty off my head, Rey, but it wasn't worth the possible risks, including an unsupervised Padawan working herself to her limits, all because of an internal attack on the Jedi."

Rey looked as if she might have cried, as she bowed first to Obi-Wan then to Ahsoka, "I am so sorry."

_Wow,_ Dooku said to Qui-Gon through their bond, taken aback, _he's good._

Qui-Gon's mental sigh was tangible, _At this rate, he's going to make the Council before he's fifty._

_Do you see Mace's face?_ Dooku asked, glancing at the almost awe filled light in the Vaapad Master's dark eyes, _Who would have thought that you of all people would raise the perfect Jedi?_

_I'm sorry to be such a disappointment,_ Qui-Gon responded ruefully.

Dooku tried to make his expression firm, though he was almost positive given the look Sifo-Dyas shot him that he was sporting a smug curl of lips as he sent back, _I think I can forgive you Obi-Wan when your current apprentice is still wearing Mandalorian armour._

Qui-Gon went back to pinching the bridge of his nose.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, ideas, or happy dolphins? Pretty please?


	25. The Duchess Satine

AN: For those who want Palps dead, I promise his death will be satisfying, I'm just enjoying screwing him over with shit he didn't do, because multi-universe karma is a bitch. Also, do you peeps want more romance? Because this story is quickly opening itself up to it.

Chapter 25 - The Duchess Satine

Ahsoka Tano didn't know much about politics, and having been raised a proper Jedi, she didn't have an overtly positive view of them.

But as far as politicians went, Senator Padme Amidala and Bail Organa were pretty great.

Since his name had been cleared, Master Kenobi had returned to wearing Jedi robes and shaved off his beard.

Seeing him like this, she understood why his Ben Neeson alias had worked for so long, even though his hair was still red, he was nearly unrecognizable.

"So what's the mission?" she asked, her Master having introduced her to the two Senators before leading her back into the Senate building, Senators Amidala and Organa having gone on ahead to lunch.

"Not a mission per se," Master Kenobi said, "Just a lunch meeting and I wanted to see if we could invit- there she is." He dodged around a few people, leaving Ahsoka to hurry after him.

"Duchess Satine," he called.

The blonde woman with ornate headdress to rival Amidala's turned, her expression going from frosty to welcoming as she saw them, "Obi-Wan Kenobi, it's been too long."

They stopped before her, and Ahsoka bowed with her Master to the Duchess as the Mandalorian guards, with helmets that might as well have been headdresses stood at attention.

Master Kenobi rose, an equally warm smile on his lips. "That it has. And may I introduce you to my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka, this is Duchess Satine Kryze."

The Duchess curtsied, "It is a pleasure, Padawan."

Ahsoka bowed back, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Duchess."

I was wondering if you might like to join us in accompanying us to lunch with Senators Organa and Amidala."

"I would be honoured," she said, taking his proffered arm, Ahsoka falling into step beside them.

"So how have things been on Mandalore, Duchess?"

Satine sighed, "With the rumours of galactic war starting up between disbelievers in the Republic fought with armies of clones and droids, they could be better."

"Yes, I always thought the Jedi stayed out of politics because it could foster corruption within the Order. Now I see it because no one bothers to listen to us if we cared to involve ours."

Satine gave him a look that put Ahsoka's nerves on end, "The Jedi speak against war but not against fighting."

Master Kenobi shook his head slightly, "Yes, and how has 'not fighting' been going for Mandalore, Duchess Kryze?"

She scowled at him, "Mandalore has been extremely prosperous in recent years."

"Your planet was certainly blessed in resources and location," he said diplomatically, but Ahsoka caught on to his tone and the implied double meaning to his words, or at least she thought she did.

Master Kenobi wasn't agreeing with Satine even if his words were agreeable.

Or at least that's what Ahsoka thought. _Why did my Master have to be involved in politics?_

Master Kenobi half turned his head toward her and she worried that he had heard that thought.

Satine saved her by saying in an almost haughty voice, "Yes, we are fortunate."

Ahsoka was grateful that they said no more as they sat down in a shuttle that took them to a raised building which had outdoor dining. The day was nice and Ahsoka was doing her best to smother her restlessness.

Some of her tension eased when she saw Rey sitting beside Master Dooku at a table with Senators Amidala and Organa.

Master Kenobi pulled out a chair beside Master Dooku for Satine and Ahsoka snagged the open seat between Rey and Senator Organa, leaving Master Kenobi between the Duchess and Amidala.

"Ah, the Duchess of Mandalore," Master Dooku greeted, "this is a treat."

Satine stiffened, and Ahsoka was certain there was bad blood between them, as she answered coolly, "Count Dooku."

He smirked before bringing a glass of water to his lips that was a work of art in and of itself with its deep blues and metallic swirls. At a guess, Ahsoka would say he was enjoying irritating the other planet leader.

Master Dooku was one of the strangest Masters in the Order.

Greetings were exchanged between them all and Rey handed Ahsoka a menu.

Ahsoka had of course been out to eat before, but never to a place so fancy nor where the menu options weren't in the Basic script.

Rey flipped a page for her, and pointed to the entree section, and said quietly but not in a whisper, "Just look at the ingredients and don't worry about the cost, Dooku is treating us."

Ahsoka nodded, feeling completely out of her element as the others exchanged small talk. The ingredients luckily were in Basic and she ordered something that was almost all red meat.

It wasn't that the Temple didn't accommodate her diet, but she was almost certain that what she ordered would remain in her memory for years to come.

As a general rule, Ahsoka enjoyed talking, far more than meditative silences encouraged at the temple, but 'small talk' she discovered was a special type of uselessness. She fought to pay as much attention as Master Kenobi was to the discussion.

Rey she noticed was paying more attention to their surroundings than anything at the table.

"So your hair is permanently red now?" Satine asked.

Kenobi sighed, "I have Dorme to thank for that."

"It kept you alive," Padme said smugly, "besides, it suits you."

Her Master quirked an eyebrow, "I'm not sure if that is a compliment, Amidala."

"Well, you look better without the beard," Satine said boldly. "It is good to be able to see your face again."

"I don't know," Padme mused in a playful tone, "I thought the beard was rather handsome."

Ahsoka noted the colour in Obi-Wan's cheeks as Rey rejoined the conversation with a laugh, "Obi-Wan is adorable no matter the fashion he chooses."

He gave her an exasperated look as Senator Organa and Master Dooku chuckled.

Padme began to look between Satine and Kenobi, and said, "You know Rey, I've seen pictures of Palpatine's mother, you do resemble her a bit around the eyes, but you really do look like you are a relative of Obi-Wan and the Duchess. If they ever had a daughter, I'd imagine she would look like you."

"The beauty of being a Jedi is I don't have to worry about it much," Rey said easily, "Though I think Rey Kenobi has a pleasant ring to it."

"You certainly have quite the heritage," Master Dooku remarked, his dark gaze sharp on her yet his thoughts seeming to be far away.

Ahsoka's eyes widened, "Wait, you mean you're actually related?"

Rey shrugged, "According to the healers, but weirdly, the Duchess and Obi-Wan came back as my maternal grandparents."

"But that's impossible," Ahsoka pointed.

"We're aware," Master Kenobi said. "Speaking of which, how did your Mandos respond when they heard you were related, Rey, assuming you told them?"

Rey grinned, "They seemed more determined to convert me than ever. Maas had me keep the armour, a useful disguise if I ever need one."

One of the guards who had nearly blended into the background, although Ahsoka had never lost track of him, started, "Master Maas _gave_ you Mandalorian armour, for nothing?"

She nodded, and Satine said, "You should know, young Padawan, that the trade of Mandalorian weaponry is prohibited."

Rey frowned at her, "We didn't trade, it was a gift. And just so you're aware _Duchess, _your new laws are making you vastly unpopular."

Ahsoka saw her Master flinch and Dooku hide a smirk behind his glass.

Rey was not good at politics. Which was kind of funny considering her father had just been elected as High Chancellor last week.

"Death Watch is a terrorist organization," Satine said.

Rey scowled, "My friends are not Death Watch, they are Mandalorians."

"I'm a Mandalorian."

"Says the woman who seems dead set on destroying their history and way of life."

"Warmongering is not a way of life!" Satine said, voice rising, "The cycle of violence does not end with bloodshed. Violence begets violence."

"Self-defense is not a crime, protecting others from violence is not a crime, and as far as I'm aware, being a core world does not prevent you from the dangers of unrest and crime."

"That is why education-"

"No people are wholly good nor wholly bad, no matter their education although I will not deny that stable education helps. But it is better to prepare for the worst than leave yourself knowingly vulnerable. Which is a cruel thing to force upon your people who have historically been great warriors. Especially given the current state of the galaxy and that your planet is located at a nexus of supply routes."

Ahsoka's eyes widened a tad and she glanced at Master Kenobi who caught her gaze and gave her an approving smile.

That comment he had made when they first met with Satine, about her planet being rich with resources, it had been a warning and an inquiry.

One that Duchess Satine seemed to want people to forget about, "Mandalore is being brought into a time of peace-"

"Yes, peace on the backs of years of hardwon conflict. I'm not advocating you stir your people up into a war frenzy, but don't cripple your own military," Rey said.

Satine's jaw tightened, "Historically, many of the wars they fought in were against the Jedi."

Rey grinned, "Yeah, except you want the same thing as the Jedi Order, and fighting together we are damn near unstoppable."

The Duchess shook her head, "You don't know what you're talking about, being a relative of mine does not mean you understand our culture."

"Ba'jur, beskar'gam, Ara'nov, aliit, Mando'a bal Mand'alor- Anvencuyan mhi," Rey said in a language Ahsoka did not know.

The Mandalorians seemed to recognize it though, and Ahsoka had to ask, "What does that mean?"

Satine translated for her:

"Education and armour,

Self-defence, our tribe,

Our language, our leader-

All help us survive.

"It is the Mandalorian Code of Honour and does not mean that Padawan Palpatine understands the words she speaks."

Rey answered in a smooth flurry of words that Ahsoka noted had Satine's gaping at her.

"What did you say?" Ahsoka asked.

"I said," she answered, "that just because I am not a Mandalorian in truth does not mean my words are wrong."

Satine glanced at Master Kenobi, "They really are trying to convert her, aren't they?"

"Is Chakraborty a man of note?" Master Dooku asked, even as Master Kenobi nodded in answer to Satine.

"Mandalorian Chakraborty is an acclaimed bounty hunter and a close friend of Master Maas who is one of our planet's finest metal smiths. They are not leaders of any fractions, but they are well known and well liked."

"Unlike you who has been having an increasing number of death threats," Master Kenobi remarked, speaking more boldly Ahsoka thought then he would have if Rey had not dug in on her so hard already.

Satine glared at him, "I am not alone in my views, Obi-Wan."

"No, but as your friend, I am allowed to be worried about your safety," he said.

Master Dooku went on, "Especially as the tensions of war rise. I asked Obi-Wan to make the request for you to join us, young Duchess, because I had hoped the group of us might be able to impress upon you the danger you are placing not just yourself but your people in. You may very well be able to avoid civil war, but if war breaks out within the large Republic, Mandalore will become a primary target."

"Your concern is touching-" she began but it was Senator Amidala who cut her off.

"We aren't asking you to change your beliefs, Duchess Satine, we are asking you to consider that those who stand against your government may soon gain more support and weight behind them from outside influences than any of us could handle."

Master Kenobi put a hand on Satine's hand where it was fisted on the table, "If you need help, Satine, politically, from me, or the larger Jedi Order, now is the time to ask. Anything we do not can be done without great violence."

"I have Death Watch handled," she asserted.

"That's not what we heard," Rey contradicted.

Master Dooku sighed, "It is my experience that Death Watch is never handled."

"Yes," Satine hissed, "and you, personally, a part of the cause for that."

"I was fooled, Duchess, and I am not a man easily played. Death Watch either bought out or tricked the Senate, then was able to deceive the Jedi Order. No one at this table will blame you for having difficulties-"

"I've heard quite enough your opinions this day," Satine said, starting to rise, but Master Kenobi caught her arm with a light touch.

She froze, even though she could have pulled away easily, "Alright, Satine, we've said our peace, we just wanted you to hear us out. Please, finish lunch with us."

Senator Organa said, "On the topic of nonviolence, Alderaan is having troubles with the Trade Federation. The recent election of the new Chancellor has not gone in our favour."

Senator Amidala stabbed a bit of vegetable off her plate, "That two faced bastard, at least we know who our enemies are, if he had risen to this position from Naboo rather than Telos then his interests with the Trading Federation would have been under the table."

Ahsoka herself was chipping away at her own meal. It was much better than she thought it would be. Not quite like the food she had had on her homeworld, but really, _really,_ good.

"I am not sure if blatant corruption is preferable," Master Dooku observed. "Up until now, the Jedi has kept enough pressure on the Senate to keep both the production of droids and clones down."

"The production of clones," Rey repeated in the same tone Amidala had used to speak of the Chancellor and the Trading Federation, "to speak of sentients in the same breath as droids feels wrong."

"It is wrong," Satine agreed adamantly.

Master Kenobi said gently to Satine, "If Mandalore doesn't declare itself a neutral system then your voice against the Kamino cloners would mean more, especially as the template they are using is off of a Mandalorian bounty hunter."

"Jango Fett is a free citizen," she answered, "I could not have forbidden him to do this off-world. I can, however, bar him and his clones from Mandalore."

"And how will that help?" Master Dooku asked, "We need your voice in the Senate, Duchess, keeping your citizens from re-entering their homeworld will only build further resentment against you and your supporters."

"The clones are soldiers."

"They are people, just as the majority of your people are warriors."

"What I find scary is that they picked a template of a man who is known to have killed Jedi," Senator Amidala said.

They all looked at her, and Dooku said, "Hego Damask had the clones spawned to sure up the Jedi's defences. As Rey said, if Mandalorian warriors and Jedi Knights fought together, we would be nearly unstoppable."

"I don't know," Senator Organa said, eyes wary, "How comfortable are you, Master Dooku, with the genetic choice?"

Ahsoka watched the proud Jedi Master think it through, "I think Jango Fett is one of a kind, his life experiences and upbringing cannot be duplicated in a lab. However, his characteristics combined with the obedience the Kimonos bred into the clones would make them an extremely loyal group of individuals."

"But loyal to whom?" Ahsoka asked.

They all turned to her, and she fought not to sink into her seat.

She was saved by one of Amidala's handmaidens stepping forward to whisper in her ear. The Senator said, "We have to get back to the Senate building."

"Have fun," Rey said.

"Oh, you're coming with us," Master Dooku said, "Qui-Gon gave you to me for the rest of the day, Mace wants to see if you can pick out any Force users in the Senate building."

"Joy," Rey said sarcastically.

Ahsoka couldn't help but smile, Rey might not have been her Master, but being Kenobi's apprentice meant that she was going to get to know who the initiates in the creches called 'Master Yoda's crazy staff wielding butterfly.'

* * *

Padme fought to squash the sliver of jealousy that had arisen when Obi-Wan had touched Satine's hand then arm.

She was getting married to Palo for Force's sake, and she _knew_ Obi-Wan didn't see _her _that way.

Even if they were at odds, Padme could still see that Obi-Wan still cared deeply for Satine. More deeply, Padme had no doubts, then his feelings for her.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had over the last four years been nothing but professional, even if she had begun to adore him a bit more each day, not least of when the man was bouncing Sola's child on his knee when he came to stay with Padme at her family estate.

She had thought she had gotten past these feelings, her less than platonic relationship with Palo playing no small part in that.

But it was one thing to have Obi-Wan at her side as the Jedi monkish guard, it was quite another thing to see the noble Knight express familiarity with another woman, knowing that if he wanted to pursue a relationship with her, he could.

The Jedi's break from tradition of non-marriage had not changed the Order drastically, but it had, for lack of better description, changed how some the Republic citizens treated the Jedi. That the Jedi had acknowledged unions made them more relatable. As of now, there were five children born from Jedi who had been publically married, all five were being raised at the Temple, even the child who was not a Force sensitive.

Obi-Wan had explained to her that younglings were not so powerful in the Force that a non-Force sensitive child would feel at odds, despite not having the potential to become a Jedi Knight the child was destined to be transferred into one of the Jedi corps, of which there were many branches and strong community bonds.

The fact of the matter was, the Jedi took care of their own. The corps were not as flashy, not as well known or recognized by the larger republic, but just as respected and cared for as the Knights were by the Order.

Obi-Wan had explained while the Jedi Knights, as warriors needed to have stricter codes of conduct, the Knights were just the face of the Order and the safe harbour, the corps were their body and heart. A thing they did not publicize as to keep them from being targeted. The Jedi Knights, after all, had an innumerable amount of enemies, and the power to handle.

"Padme, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked, startling her from her thoughts.

She smiled as they walked through the crowd of Senators slowly re-entering the building, "Yes, I'm fine. Just lost in thought."

His bright eyes sparkled at her, "I'm glad you decided to take a honeymoon after the wedding. You deserve the break."

She stiffened, guilt washing over her. She was being unfair to her fiance. She cared for him, lusted after him, but she knew who she would have rather been engaged to. "It is only the first week of recess."

He gave her a look, "Don't feel guilty about taking time for yourself, Queenie."

She winced, it was a gentle reminder that he could sense her feelings. Good thing, as observant as Obi-Wan was, he could still misinterpret the source of those feelings, "Of course, Master Jedi."

"Master?" Ahsoka asked.

He turned to meet the gaze of his spirited new charge, "Yes, Padawan?"

"How long do Senate meetings usually last?"

Obi-Wan smiled at her but as he was about to answer a familiar voice called out, "Rey Palpatine, how fortuitous that we meet, my daughter."

Obi-Wan's smile disappeared as if it had never existed and Ahsoka looked almost frightened as he moved in front of both his Padawan and Padme.

Ahsoka looked as if she was about to ask what was wrong but Padme touched her shoulder, shaking her head at the young Jedi.

Dooku stepped up to Rey's side and angled his body in a subtle but ready defence position in front of Satine.

It was very unlikely that High Chancellor Sheev Palpatine would attack them physically, especially in public.

But then there were other types of hurt that he could cause them that he was more than willing and capable of inflicting on them.

Rey's posture was impeccable as she said, "I am a Jedi, your genetic donation is of no consequence."

There was a smattering of laughter through the crowd as Senators stopped to witness the Chancellor confront his Jedi daughter.

Some wanted gossip, others wanted something to use against the newly named leader of the Senate.

"Come now, I know that the Jedi disapprove of family, but surely you haven't let their edicts turn you against me."

_Was he serious?_ Padme wondered, _Why does he act like he doesn't know what he did to her? Or does he think she was too young to remember?_

If that was his game, then he had already lost.

Not that Padme should have worried much, Rey was more than equipped to handle him.

"The Jedi do not own me, Chancellor, I am free to leave whenever I wish. The thing is, I don't wish to leave. Now, if you will excuse me," she turned her back on him and walked toward Ahsoka, Dooku stayed where he was but Obi-Wan moved to her side.

"Perhaps the Jedi have left you with no reason to leave," Sheev said, using that reasonable voice Padme had once trusted too well once, "You have nothing, no family, no home, no means to make a living for yourself without them you are dependent."

Rey froze, then turning on a heel to face Sheev who in all his finery had come closer.

Padme had never seen such a dark expression on this kind woman's face. Rey was either happy or mediating, rarely anything in the middle. But something Sheev had said, had struck a nerve.

Padme was pretty sure it was because the idea of having nothing and being dependent, which was rich coming from the man who had sold her into slavery and hidden her mother from her.

But that was just a wild guess.

"I have nothing?" Rey asked, her voice dangerous.

Padme wasn't the only one who had to suppress a shiver.

"But I can offer you everything. I can offer you my legacy, all that I have will be as yours, as my only child you deserve all the galaxy has to offer. You deserve a home. And I can offer you what the Jedi can only ape, a true family."

Padme saw that there were those in the crowd who were moved by his words, by the sincerity of a father trying to reconnect with his only child, as well as the resentment some held about the often overly secretive Jedi.

But Padme knew that Jedi were pissed, and though she was no Force sensitive, even she could feel the breeze coming off Rey.

"Family? You know nothing of family," her every word getting lower.

"Rey, please, just give me-"

"You stole everything from me!" she shouted, her emotions finally breaking her control.

Padme looked to Obi-Wan who shook his head slightly, his way of saying they weren't in any danger.

"I had a family," Rey said, "I had a loving mother and a father I thought I could trust, but you-" she broke off swallowing the words, her emotions.

"What lies have the Jedi used to steal you from me?" Sheev asked.

It was the wrong thing to say.

"Steal me? _You sold me into slavery!_" she shouted.

A murmur rose in the crowd, sweeping backwards in a rising and falling wave as Rey's words were repeated and passed back through the crowd of Senators, committee members, guards, news anchors, and interested citizens, and in its wake was left a silence broken only by passing traffic.

That wave of silence was the sound of Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's career dying.

Newly elected as he was, he would be allowed to finish his term but this was a story he would never be able to overcome, any self respecting representative would take the word of a Jedi over a politician. Slavery was illegal in the Republic, and thanks to efforts over the last few years, perfectly enforceable. Rey had no reason to lie, and it was well known that she had saved her father's life at nearly the cost of her own. Sheev, however, would have every reason to lie…

Padme had to give him points for his acting, he looked as if he had just been kneed in the tender bits as he squawked, "What?"

Rey who seemed more enraged by his confusion, "You. Sold. Me. And I _earned_ my freedom -on my own. I worked in the desert for years, fighting for any scrap of knowledge I could use for a future I had no promises of having. Because I had _nothing_, I was alone and I had no one and _you._ You never came back!"

"Rey, I didn't-" the man started, trying desperately to buy time to salvage this situation. But he knew as well as Padme did, as well as Bail, Dooku, Obi-Wan, Satine, and every other member of the Galactic Senate and Jedi Order knew that there was no salvaging this.

"And you dare, come to me now when I finally have _everything_ I have ever dreamed of? I have a family, I have friends, _love_, I have a people and a purpose." She took a breath, "I am a Jedi, the Order is my family, and I serve the Force, not because I have no choice, not for wealth, or status, or power, but because it is my calling. I am who I want to be."

Padme wanted to reach out, but Ahsoka beat her to it, taking Rey's hand as Obi-Wan took her other hand. The slight tremor in the ground that had been nearly imperceivable released and the breeze died down.

Dooku stepped in front of them, "The High Jedi Council has issued a restraining order against you, Sheev Palpatine. And Chancellor or no, I will personally arrest you if you attempt any further contact with Padawan Palpatine again."

For a moment, Padme saw beneath Sheev's mask. For half a blink, she saw the monster beneath before his expression smoothed over and he shook his head sadly, "I did not do this. You have lied to her."

Padawan Ahsoka let go of Rey's hand and stepped around Dooku to say, "The Jedi are not a cult, we are a people and agents of the Force. Rey is with us because she wants to be with us."

Dooku put a hand on the young Togruta's shoulder.

Padme saw the sneer Sheev swallowed, as he abruptly turned and walked into the building. Admitting a lost cause.

"Rey," Padme said softly, touching her arm, "are you alright?"

Rey looked at her, face full of emotions, and she shook her head, "This is why I'm not a knight yet, I thought… I thought I had gotten over this."

She looked so lost, and Padme couldn't help but pull her into a hug even though she knew this whole thing was being recorded. Obi-Wan hugged both of them.

"There is no shame in struggling with this, Rey," Obi-Wan said softly so only she and Padme could hear.

Rey pulled back from them looking terribly lost, "I'm… I'm going to go back to the Temple."

Satine reached out a hand to Rey before letting it fall back to her side, yet she said in Mandalorian, "Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaasla."

The lost look left Rey's eyes and she bowed. Satine curtsied in return, Padme knew the curtsy was to save herself from the headache that would ensue from the shifting weight of the headdress if she dipped her head forward in a bow.

At her words, Rey appeared to regain herself. And seeing the tension ease from Rey, Padme found that she finally understood why Obi-Wan had once fallen in love with Duchess Satine Kryze.

Ahsoka asked, "What did she say?" Watching the retreating backs of the Mandalorian guard who followed their Duchess inside.

"It's a Mandalorian saying, though in my case it would be mother or teacher," Rey turned a bright smile on the young Padawan, "What the Duchess Satine said was, 'Nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be.'"

* * *

KEYNote: I can't thank those of you who have been reviewing enough, I know this is far from my most popular story but it is the one I enjoy writing the most and we are not even halfway through! And it is thanks to y'all that I have adjusted the plot to accommodate Mandos :D

AN: I am currently writing the next chapter that I am trying to finish tonight for tomorrow, so all reviews on content and characters are super welcome.


	26. Moral Compass

May the Fourth Be With You: In honour of the fourth day of May, two chapters. Please do not forget to review :D

Chapter 26 - Moral Compass

Darth Sidious was near senseless with fury.

As a man who had done many terrible things in his life, to be taken down by something he _honestly_ hadn't done...

And what Nubian would if think to sell their child into slavery? Maul had told him that she recognized Naboo.

Rey Palpatine was provenly his daughter, provenly Nubian, but who had raised her and _why_ did she recognize him?

But it was too late for that information now. His bounty on Obi-Wan Kenobi had fallen through. Not surprising seeing as not even Darth Sidious had realized that Ben Neeson, Amidala's guard was the Jedi he wanted dead.

"Apprentice," Sidious snarled at the hologram of his Zabrak, "Why didn't you tell me about her past?"

"She never confided in me that she had been a slave, Master."

"I thought you said you were her closest confidant."

"Outside of the Order," he corrected boldly.

Sidious ground his teeth, "Obi-Wan Kenobi." That's who she trusts.

He had seen them, standing shoulder to shoulder, Dooku standing guard of them, the Count that had almost fallen to the Dark was now wholly loyal to the Light.

So long as Rey was with them.

Rey was so close to the Jedi Council, and powerful enough that if he could but turn her…

"Master?"

Sidious looked back to his apprentice, Maul was playing the long game, which is not what he had been raised for, which was why he had yet to succeed in turning Rey to the Dark Side.

But to his credit, he had yet to fail.

Yet Sidious had to find other tools to use for his means, just as Darth Plagueis had moved on to other projects.

Projects that Darth Sidious was no longer privy to because he had yet to convert Rey, despite her active dabbling in the Dark Side of the Force.

All it would take to push her that little bit would be Kenobi's death.

Maul couldn't kill him, he wasn't strong enough, the blasted Knight had made Master by inventing his own lightsaber Form, an eighth form that not even Plagueis knew how to replicate. Sidious had half a mind to kill the pest himself, but he couldn't risk an injury or anything that would tie him back to the man's murder.

"How much does she trust you, Maul?"

"She trusts me with her life, but that isn't enough to turn her."

"Kenobi's death will be enough."

"I did not know you had been the one to place the bounty," Maul said defensively.

Sidious waved his words away, "After four years, he was more apt to die on a mission or defending Amidala. Your little escapade with the Mandalorians only cemented her trust in you. My career is ruined, I have little to lose now by cutting the Jedi's weak links."

"And what will that accomplish?"

"This is war, my apprentice. The Republic is weakening. And what better way to destroy the Jedi than have them destroy themselves."

"I do not understand."

"And you are not meant to. Your assignment remains the same, wait for her to fall -then push her further."

"Yes, Master."

He shut down the comm, and began his work.

He was not the scientist that Darth Plagueis was, no, Darth Sidious was an artist and what he was about to do with the young Jedi Knight in his possession would be nothing short of a masterpiece.

* * *

Rey knew she should tell them.

But she was afraid, and she knew that that fear was all the more reason she should tell them.

She was from future, Obi-Wan and Satine were her maternal grandparents.

But Sheev Palpatine was still the father from her memories.

She was insane.

She rolled over to look at Obi-Wan who, as usual, had no problems falling asleep in the Temple.

Of course, after Master Sifo-Dyas and Maul taught her how to shield she slept better too.

But not tonight. Careful not to wake him, Rey sat up and slipped on her shoes.

Taking her staff with her, as Master Jinn had lectured her about leaving it behind despite the fact that it would have blown her cover.

There still weren't many places in the Temple she liked, but the gardens remained a centre for solace for her.

This late at night, only little lights interspersed amongst the leaves and flowers illuminated the dark.

Finding a place where the grass was thick and soft. She crossed her legs and attempted to still her mind, being especially careful to keep herself shielded from Obi-Wan and Master Jinn. She was going to tell them, and she didn't want them to glean it from her thoughts. She needed to have the courage to confide in them.

She was from the future.

At least, she was pretty sure she was from the future.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe…

The light changed.

She opened her eyes, and there was no light.

_Breathe out,_ she told herself, taking care to exhale.

She saw a ripple in the dark, and as she inhaled, a breathing apparatus echoed her.

The intent breathing that rasped in the darkened space around them grew, driving her near mad, but she didn't speak.

She was having a vision.

A memory, the Force was with her, and her fears of insanity were manifesting-

"I told you, that you don't belong."

Rey didn't flinch as enough life grew for her to identify the black giant she had first encountered in her vision on Ilum.

"I belong," she told him calmly. This was just a vision, she had hurt herself on Ilum by running away from him, if she just sat still-

The cyborg laughed at her, his breathing a creepy warning ringing around her, "Is that what you think, that you aren't from the future, that you aren't a displacer?"

"I belong-"

"You think you are the Chosen One," he stated.

"I don't even know what that means."

He laughed, "I will show you the fate of the Chosen One. Had the Force not interceded and brought you back, Qui-Gon would be dead, and Obi-Wan would have been my Master."

"Obi-Wan would never betray _me_," she said, remembering what the giant had said last about her Masters not loving her.

This cyborg obviously didn't know what love was.

Something changed in the darkness, and the giant snarled at her, "Your precious Order is far from perfect."

Rey would have pointed out she knew this, no one was perfect, but she was thrown back, and she was no longer in darkness, no longer in the gardens of the Temple on Coruscant, but in a vaulted room of some sort.

Master Dooku stood across from her, eyes eager, hungry, darkness shrowding him like a fevered heat. In his hand, his normally blue lightsaber blazed red.

A mark of someone outside of the Jedi Order.

"You have unusual powers, young Padawan. But not enough to save you this time."

"Don't bet on it!" she heard herself yell.

Obi-Wan shouted at her, and she tried to turn to him, but instead caught a second lightsaber he threw to her. She found herself parrying against Dooku's crimson blade in a style that was not her own.

Dooku wasn't sparring, she realized as he disarmed one of her blades. He was trying to kill her, a point that sunk in as he took her arm and she fell back beside Obi-Wan.

The pain was surreal.

And then she was back on Coruscant, standing in front of the Council, all of their faces disapproving.

_What had she done to upset them so?_

Dooku and Sifo-Dyas were absent and Mace looked particularly peeved with her, and Master Yoda…

Rey hadn't known how much his opinion mattered to her until she found his eyes closing, his long ears drooping and his head shaking in disapproval.

She turned to look at Obi-Wan who she felt as he always did, a bright presence behind her.

But he wouldn't look at her.

The scene flashed again.

Ahsoka was older, and in Rey's hand, she held the delicate chain that was her Padawan braid. Holding it out to her, Rey said, "I'm asking you to come back."

Ahsoka sighed sadly.

And Rey understood then that Obi-Wan's Padawan was leaving the Order and would never return.

The cyborg giant snarled by her ear, "She was my Padawan. Obi-Wan stood by and did nothing!"

The scene again changed.

And her father sat tied to a chair, a blue and red lightsaber held in either of her hands.

"Do it," her father ordered.

And Dooku looked at Chancellor Palpatine as if betrayed, then back up to her, his brown eyes resigned as Rey's sabers cut his head from his shoulders.

Rey screamed. Reeling, the cyborg's masked face appeared before her as she stumbled backwards through the darkness. "You wanted to be me, yet you know not the fate of the Chosen One!"

Heat enveloped her, and she seemed to be standing on a river of lava.

Obi-Wan was gazing at her, his face raw with pain and exhaustion.

He looked devastated, betrayed, and angrier than she had ever seen him.

She tried to fight free of the vision, and she almost broke free as Obi-Wan began shouting, "It's over!"

Her vision blurred from black to too bright lava.

"I have the high ground."

That last held her in place, what did having the high ground matter? She was on a moving river of lava.

Obi-Wan gave her a warning expression, one that she would have listened to if she were half dead and drowning. His voice was a command, "Don't try it."

_Try what?_ she wondered as she found herself flipping over him.

Obi-Wan took off her legs above the knees and her arm that held a single bladed saber.

She screamed. Confusion and pain warring for dominance in her consciousness. She was going to die from this, her mind was going into shock and she would die, Obi-Wan having killed her.

_But why!?_

She reached out her one remaining hand to him, and found that hand to be mechanical.

The one Dooku had severed from her. A Dooku that had somehow succumbed fully to the Darkness.

"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would, destroy the Sith, not join them. It was you who would bring balance to the Force, not leave it in Darkness."

She wanted to cry, she hadn't betrayed him, Chosen One or no Chosen One, she would never betray him. She wanted to call for his help, plead that there had been a misunderstanding, what came from her lips instead was blasphemy, "_I hate you!"_

She fought then, remembering that this was just a vision of some kind. But the cyborg grabbed her by the hair with a black gloved hand and shoved her back into the heat and pain, "You wanted this!"

She was on fire, she had slipped back toward the river of magma and she was on fire.

The smell of her own flesh burning was a secondary terror to the pain she knew of no equal to.

Obi-Wan did not come back to save her, and she was lost.

"Now you know," the cyborg said to her in the dark, "why I'm in this suit, that your precious Obi-Wan is capable of mistakes, and that the fate of the Chosen One is cursed."

She said nothing for a long time.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

She turned to look up at the giant, flat on her back defensiveness, as she said, "You aren't real."

"You do not belong!" he raged back at her.

"Because I exist," she said, voice certain, more certain than she had been in all the years that had passed since her arrival on Tatooine, "You cannot. No one needs a Chosen One. The Force is with me, and unlike you, I saved myself."

"You're wrong," he said, before the vision released her.

Rey fell forward on her hands, her legs still crossed.

She fought to control her breathing as she curled _her_ hands, her organic hands into the grass.

By the time she got her breathing under control she decided that what she had seen wasn't the past, wasn't the future, but the Force itself telling her what had been and what she was.

The cyborg had been right, she didn't belong, this wasn't her time.

But this was her life, her people, and the galaxy she loved. She was a time traveller, and she _did_ belong to her because she was an agent of the Force.

She was a Jedi and the Force itself had brought her back. Brought back to stop whatever fate she had just witnessed. It was by the grace and will of the Force that she had been brought to this time.

The Force swirled around her, the Light and the Darkness, the rise and fall of the tide.

She had not, would not join the Sith as the cyborg's Obi-Wan had accused her off. Obi-Wan would not betray her because she would never betray him.

Xanatos was the only apprentice of Master Jinn's who would ever fall.

Rey pulled herself to her feet, and carefully reached through her Master and Padawan bonds to Master Jinn and Obi-Wan.

Both remained asleep.

For once it seemed she had managed to keep her shields up even during a horrific vision.

She should wake them, tell them…

Tell them what? That she just had a vision about killing Dooku and Obi-Wan killing her -or at least the alternate vision of her?

She ran a hand over her forehead, she was sweaty and shaking, and didn't know how she would respond to them arguing with her about the time travel, about their accusations of not telling them years ago, or if she could take sharing her dreams with Obi-Wan.

She still hadn't been able to tell him about the Darth Carrion dreams. Dreams that had stopped only two years ago when Maul helped her piece together how to-

_Maul._

She moved before she knew what she was doing. The night air was cool on her skin as she ran out into the traffic. She didn't bother finding a transport, his new apartment was only a few kilometres away from the Temple.

As she ran, leaping from rooftops to rooftops, hopping speeders and floating advertisements, she let her head clear.

Only as her thoughts cleared, her emotions caught up with her, she did her best to feed them back to the Force, but…

She couldn't get the look on Dooku's face out of her head before she killed him, the resignation of his own death.

The Count she knew would have never knelt before anyone, not like that, not in defeat.

And then Obi-Wan.

_Don't try it._

That command sang through her, the emotions she had felt from him... why hadn't the cyborg listened?

In what felt like years, in what felt like moments, she was slipping in through Maul's window.

A half second later, a lightsaber was at her throat.

His amber eyes caught in the black and red patterned lines of his face widened, "Rey?" The lightsaber powered down and he took a step back from her.

She said nothing, her every breath visibly rising her chest.

"Apprentice, what are you doing here?" he asked, voice a growling tenure.

"What would you say if I told you I'm from the future?"

By the light of the traffic and glowing signs behind her in the streets, she couldn't tell if his expression changed as he said, "Which future?"

"What?" she asked.

He sighed, "The future is always in motion, you know this."

She scowled at him, "I'm a time traveller."

"How?"

"The Force brought me back, I was in my home then the next time I woke up I was in a rock cropping a while outside of Mos Eisley."

"When?"

"I travelled about sixty-six years into the past."

"I mean when did you arrive in the past?"

"A few months before I joined the Order."

He blinked at her.

"What?"

"There was a disturbance in the Force then, everyone who was even slightly Force sensitive felt it. No one knew why it happened… but this… would it explain it."

"You believe me?" she asked, voice breaking.

"Why would you lie?" he asked in turn.

She launched herself at him, catching him in a hug around the waist as he tensed. She buried her face against his shoulder.

This male seemed always to be here for her. She had been alone for most of her life, and now she found herself blessed with so many dear friends.

* * *

Darth Maul froze as Rey wrapped herself around him.

It wasn't the first time he had been in this position with a female, but he was pretty sure she wasn't asking for carnal favours.

In fact, for a split second, he thought she attacked him and was going to try ripping out his jugular.

It was something he might have done for a surprise attack.

But Rey wasn't attacking him, she was crying on him…

He remained motionless. The only experience he had with crying people was when he was torturing them, murdering people in front of them, or about to murder them as they screamed for mercy.

When her knees went weak, he caught her before she could slip to the ground. Hesitantly, he walked backwards until he reached the bed. He leaned back and she readjusted, curled against his side, face pressed to his chest as her tears turned to sobs.

Through the apprentice bond that had been growing steadily between them, he felt her relief, her confusion, and the eddies of fear.

She was afraid he would turn against her because of her revelation.

No, she was afraid Obi-Wan and her Master would turn against her, disbelieve her when she revealed her truth to him.

He wasn't sure if she was from the future or not, perhaps she had some intense vision that made her _feel_ as if she had lived another life. She was, after all, a touch-clairvoyant. Yet, he believed that all things were possible within the Force: the Force, as Rey herself often said, was infinite.

Why wouldn't time travel be possible if the Force willed it?

The Force sang at his thoughts, whispering its agreement in his ear. Which decided the issue for him.

Rey was from the future.

He wrapped his arms around her, and he sent a thought out into that Great Being, _and you can't take her back._

The Force giggled, brushing a soft touch to first his cheek and then Rey's.

_No_, the Force would not be taking her away.

This made him relax some and Rey's sobs eased.

He still didn't know what to do or say to her. He was kind of irked that she hadn't been afraid of what he would think.

And then Maul realized that Rey was here. As in here _with him_.

In her fear and confusion, she had run to him.

Not her Master.

Not Obi-Wan.

_Him._

His hearts beat with pleasure and satisfaction. He had beaten two Jedi Masters.

And they didn't know that he had been training her how to use that saberstaff of hers correctly, that _he_ had taught her how to shield her mind and her Force presence from other sensitives, and that he had trained her to use her emotions to manipulate the Force.

In turn, she had taught him her Form. He was the only other Master outside of its creator and Rey who knew Form VIII. Thanks to Rey, he had nearly mastered Shono-Mii, the Way of the Butterfly, or as she sometimes called it, the Art of the Flippy.

It was a Form not even Darth Sidious knew, a Form that if Maul ever had to defend himself against his once Master, Sidious would be quite unprepared for.

Rey had fallen asleep against his chest and he was still wary of moving. She hadn't stated what she wanted him to do for her, so he remained still, careful not to wake her, wondering what had sparked this revelation.

Nightmares?

He had first taught her how to shield when she had confided her dreams about Darth Carrion to him.

He had taken no small amount of pleasure in Sidious's raving about being barred from her mind.

His Rey was much more than a scavenger crow.

_His_ Rey.

How he wanted that to be true, no matter how close they had grown, she had never yielded to any temptation he could offer to divert her from the Jedi.

Possibly, though he was loath to admit it, he was starting to see the Jedi as more than his Master had led him to believe them to be.

Mainly, the knowledge that the Jedi didn't kill Force sensitives who didn't join them. Not that he truly cared for his homeworld, Dathomir in anything but the abstract, but to realize when Rey told him of Asajj's Master taking his Padawan to meet her Nightsister mother, that the Jedi did not steal Force sensitive children, no more than they killed Force sensitives that were not actively working against them. Or else the Jedi Order would have destroyed the Dathomirians.

The Jedi trained Force sensitives because to be born strong in the Force was a calling, and to not be trained could be…

Well, he was sure there was a reason why when his research on his people revealed Dathomirian males going insane hadn't truly been due to the Nightsisters torturing them, rather the opposite.

Neglecting one's call to Force was a hard thing.

Discovering his Master was a lying piece of rotting intestine was no surprise.

He had a clip of Rey publically accusing him of selling her into slavery on a halo drive under his mattress.

His Master's uncultured exclamation of 'what?' was a dear thing.

He wondered how Rey's time travel story fit into that?

But then, Darth Plagueis had supposedly cracked the code to immortality. All things were possible.

He adjusted slightly, holding his breath in worry that he might wake her.

Rey merely adjusted with him, burying her face into his robes.

He knew that if Sidious or Plagueis had been in this position that they wouldn't have let her sleep. They would have talked to her, consoled her with promises of power, planted doubts into her mind, telling her that _only_ he could understand.

But Darth Maul was aware that he had no moral compass, and his arrow between right and wrong had become thinking of what Darth Sidious would do; then doing the exact opposite.

So he didn't wake her to pour poison in her ear, to try and convince her that her Master and Obi-Wan would turn against her at the first opportunity.

Besides, he doubted they would, he doubted the Jedi Council would. Maul doubted anyone who didn't believe in Rey.

Rey made a sound, and he worried that she was forgetting to shield in her emotional unrest, even though he had shown her how to use the emotions to hide herself. Gently, Maul raised a hand to pet down her shoulder blade.

When she didn't wake to yell at him, he figured it was okay. He continued to pet her back, a motion that he hoped soothed her as her emotions resettled, easing away from whatever destress her unconscious mind had dwelt on.

He realized then that the only thing that really mattered to him in this life was her and the Force.

Fuck the Sith, he thought, fuck the idea of revenge against the Jedi or his Master. Wherever this female went, he would follow.

* * *

AN: And that was Maul getting his first real emotional hug. Thoughts, reactions, or reviews? Pretty please?


	27. The Last Jedi

AN: So I am watching the Clone Wars which is why the fic, _The Astute Panic of Mandalore_ was born, also more Mandos, crack, and Obi-Wan, and I am reading the Apprentice books which is why I am writing _Return of the Father. _Both fics get slow updates because I have yet to reach key plot developments yet, plus they aren't as serious as this fic. All the same, I appreciate any and all feedback. Much love to you all!

Chapter 27 - The Last Jedi

The tea was poured before Obi-Wan finally asked, "You didn't come back to bed last night."

Rey didn't look at him, "I know."

Obi-Wan exchanged a glance with Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon had had a theory when Rey first moved to the Temple, that her almost everpresent happy demeanour came from her being happy. It was something Obi-Wan had come to appreciate because when she was upset she reverted to this quiet shadow of herself.

She became someone you might pass on the street and never notice. Within the first year of knowing her, Obi-Wan would have said that it was impossible for her to be like this, but the Obi-Wan who had lived with her for almost eight years now knew that this quieter Rey was probably who she had been on Tatooine.

Someone who was self-sufficient, slightly vicious when approached, and utterly alone. Since learning how to shield properly, when she got like this it was as if she could fold herself out of existence entirely.

If it was for the joint Padawan and Master bond between them, he wouldn't have been able to sense her at all.

"Okay," he said, "why didn't you come back last night?"

She sipped her tea, as if mulling the question over, then she said slowly, "Dreams. I couldn't sleep."

"Like the carrion nightmares?"

She looked to Qui-Gon, "You told him?"

Qui-Gon didn't back down, "You should have told him yourself the night it happened, Padawan."

She shook her head, "But-"

"I am not going to be hurt by nightmares," Obi-Wan told her firmly.

She glared at him, "You sure about that?"

"Yes," he stated, "I'm sure."

"Alright, I had a dream," there was fire in her hazel eyes, "that Dooku went to the Dark Side, chopped off my arm and that Council hated me. Then you and I were fighting, and you chopped off my other three limbs before you leaving me to burn to death on the edge of a river of lava."

Obi-Wan gaped at her, and he could feel Qui-Gon's shock as well.

And Rey must have timed it because Ahsoka came skipping in then, "Good morning Masters, Rey!"

"Good morning, Padawan Tano," Obi-Wan answered before saying to Rey, "I would never do that."

She put down her cup and rubbed her face, "I know, I know, I don't really think it was me, it just… it hurt. I went for a run in the city."

Ahsoka sat down between Rey and Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon gave Rey a hard look even as he poured Ahsoka a cup of tea, "You know that Obi-Wan wouldn't do that."

"Do what?" Ahsoka asked.

And because no one wanted to share this particular tidbit with her, Obi-Wan gave Rey a look that said, quite clearly, this conversation was far from over.

* * *

There were truthfully very few perks in being a part of the High Jedi Council.

The respect it garnered was certainly one, as was being the chance to get to know almost every Knight in the Order. The down sides were quite more numerous, however, on the whole, Dooku rather liked it, as it allowed him an illusion of more control. He could help make actual change in the Order, not least because Council was finally willing to bend a little.

But today, he wasn't sure if bending would be enough.

"It is a Sith Shrine. _Our_ Temple is on a _Sith_ Shrine," Kit Fisto repeated.

It was a conversation they had been having over the course of these long weeks, ever since the Shadows and Sages had finalized their report.

Plo Koon folded his arms as he said, "We should move the Jedi elsewhere."

"And surrender our home on Coruscant?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked.

So far, Dooku had remained silent on the issue, one, because he knew how stubborn his fellow Council members could be -liked the to wear themselves down-, and two, because he knew what he was about to suggest was not going to go over well. "If only there was a world hospital toward the Jedi that could smoothly handle the influx of population."

They all looked at him.

Sifo-Dyas was fighting not to smile, "Serreno would certainly be a change."

Mace unfolded his legs and leaned forward, and said, in his typical contrary nature, "No."

Kit Fisto shook his head, but not, apparently, at Dooku, "It may be a very good thing, getting the Jedi away from the core worlds."

Plo Koon nodded, "Agreed, and I would rather have the Jedi centred away from the politicians if they go through with this war they have been alluding to with the Separatists."

"Of course, _that_ wouldn't be a problem if it hadn't been due to certain acts on Serreno," Adi Gallia remarked coolly.

Dooku responded without sarcasm, "Every government should be challenged if it fails its people. That the Senate's response is to threaten civil war only highlights their corruptions. The Republic must stand for the betterment of the galaxy otherwise it does more harm than good. I may have one of the figures in the Separatists movement, but I wasn't the cause of it."

Sifo-Dyas nodded, "My chief worry is what we are doing to ourselves if we remain. We can only imagine what the long exposure to a Sith energy convergence has been doing to generations of Jedi. We know the stones of the Temple itself have been touched and Rey is not the only one who has shown signs of this affecting their visions. And choosing Serreno would be a statement to the Republic. Kit is right, the galaxy believes that Jedi are bais to the core worlds, and while we may be allies of the Senate, we represent more than that."

"We should bring it to a vote," Depa suggested, "as to whether or not we should consider building another Temple. We need to be at the Senate in-" she stopped herself, frowning at the empty chairs, "Where are Masters Piell, Allie, and Tinn?"

No one in the room had forgotten their absence, but in the last two hours or so, they had forgotten their tardiness.

Mace pulled back a panel on his chair to try redialling them.

The three council members were on Kamino, attempting, again, to slow the cloners from reproducing further clones for a not large, yet still sizable army.

Someone picked up.

A holographic image came of Tinn sprawled on the ground with a metallic foot squeezing down on his head, Even Piell hung limply in one of the thing's four arms, on his other side, he held Stas Allie by the throat. In the creature's two other hands, it held lightsabers.

It laughed at them in a rough voice before coughing, "Jedi, how nice of you to join us."

Dooku's heart had nearly frozen in his chest.

Three Council members, _three_, and this cyborg had caught them. It should have been impossible, but there were those even among the Council who were too confident to react in time to a surprise attack.

"What do you want?" Mace asked, Yoda was a statue to his side.

"For you to see the fate of the Jedi," it said to them, rotating its mechanical hands, cutting Saesee Tinn through the back, and bisecting Even Piell.

Galia and Mundi bit back sounds of pain as the Council members either lurched to their feet or grew evermore still.

Dooku himself stood, slowly, deliberately, standing before the image of the creature that would be destroyed for its crimes, "Who are you?"

"Sith-" Stas Allie managed in a choking breath as the mechanical talons squeezed down harder.

"I am General Grievous, of the Separatist Army."

Dooku's mind spun, this was a ploy, a ploy to get the Jedi involved in the growing war that they should have had no part in.

This creature, Grievous, had to be a part of the Republic, or at least hired by someone who would benefit from the war. Systems who were trying to legally separate would not have dared attack the Jedi for fear that the Jedi would grow unsympathetic to their plight.

"I am Count Dooku of Serreno, what is it you seek by attacking Jedi Masters?"

Coughing laughter, "Freedom from the likes of you." The snap of Gallia's neck rang through the room as the hologram clicked off.

There was a long silence.

"Time for mourning, have we not," Yoda said gravely.

"Who do we send?" Dooku asked, fully ready to go himself.

"I'll go," Depa said.

"Along with Mor and Ventress," Mace allowed, "Though I fear it will be too late to intersect him."

"The Senate is starting their session," Yarael Poof said, "They will confront us. Use this pain against us. They will announce to the galaxy what we have yet to tell our own, there is no time."

"We will not be pushed to openly grieve," Mace countered.

"They will expect us to acknowledge merit to their war claims," Sifo-Dyas said.

"No," Dooku stated, "this we must label as an internal affair. We will not be forced to war to avenge three of our own."

"Against war, we must side," Yoda said firmly.

Mace sighed, again typing into his chair, he made a recording to be sent to every member of the Order.

"Three Council members, Masters Saesee Tiin, Even Piell, and Stass Allie have been assassinated on a mission. The individual has identified himself as a lightsaber wielding cyborg going by the name General Grievous. Wherever you may be, keep your wits about you. There is a chance that the Jedi are being targeted to further inflame galactic war. We will not honour our fallen by allowing ourselves to become instruments of war. The Jedi remain loyal to the Force above all else. May the Force be with you."

Dooku sighed, knowing that what would follow this attack would define or break the Order.

oOo

Apparently, the Chancellor had not expected the Council to take such an active stance on the attack.

Dooku stood on the Serenno platform, Sifo-Dyas at his side while Plo, Kit, Yoda and Mace stood on a Jedi designated platform.

Chancellor Sheev droned on and left his finale to be the assassination of the three Council members on Kamino.

Sifo-Dyas exchanged a look with Dooku, _how had he known?_

Of course, if it had been the first they had heard of the attack, they might have been too distracted to answer that question. As it was, when the Jedi platform came to the centre of the stadium, Mace's calm words were not what the galaxy had been anticipating.

"On the matter of the three Masters who were killed in this attack, it remains uncertain whether or not the creature responsible was an agent of the Separatist movement. And the Order remains firmly against galactic war."

Sheev smiled at him, "Yet you will fight against this General, will you not?"

Sifo-Dyas spoke softly to Dooku, "I'm glad that we can publicly despise him now."

And indeed, the look Mace gave the Chancellor was openly hostile as he said, "The Jedi will hold the _individuals_ responsible for this crime, not entire systems that are asking for fair trade that could support their populations."

"But you will be fighting against a Separatist," Sheev pressed.

Plo Koon spoke up then, "The Jedi are willing to fight against those who believe that clone soldiers is anything short of slavery."

"The Republic needs an army," the Chancellor retorted, "And if the Jedi will not protect us-"

"The Jedi will not support any system using clones or military droids," Mace interjected, there were some gasps among the crowd as the Jedi stopped pretending they knew how to play politics. Mace was about as subtle as a hammer when it came down to it. "The Order remains adamant that civil war is not the way."

"The Jedi Order belongs under command of the Republic Senate," Chancellor Sheev said, waving Mace off as if he were a buzzing fly.

Mace, while a senior member of the Jedi Council, had a particularly nasty temper once inflamed. Even as the platform retracted from the centre, his voice filled the stadium, "The Jedi Order remains loyal to the Force, we will not betray our beliefs to fulfil some warmongering attempt to squeeze out authoritarian power and wealth from a suffering galaxy."

Chancellor Sheev Palpatine laughed at them, "The Jedi Order will remain loyal to the Republic, as it has for thousands of years."

Dooku smiled as he felt the tangible shift in the Force. Even Sheev must have realized he misspoken even as his laughter was picked up by others in the Senate.

Dooku, Sifo-Dyas, and Qui-Gon had been trying to get the Jedi to break from its dogged loyalty to the Republic for decades. But _finally,_ Mace and Yoda seemed to have been shown enough evidence that the times had changed, the Republic was no longer what it had once been.

Even at this distance, Dooku could see the hurt pride of Mace and Yoda.

Pride was rarely a good thing, but in this instance, their hurt pride would be used for a beneficial end.

Across the Senate stadium, Dooku met Sheev's gaze and smirked.

_Check, you bastard._

* * *

Qui-Gon was certain whatever mission they were about to be sent on was going to be low priority, and wasn't even sure if the Council had remembered the scheduled meeting.

Sure enough, when he and Rey were admitted entrance, no one, not even Yoda, was seated among the Council as they argued.

Mor and Asajj had already been sent to Kamino with Depa.

"The clones number at two hundred thousand troops, and more growing by the day," Sifo-Dyas was saying.

"Would Mandalore take them in?" Kit asked, "Considering their relation to Jango Fett."

"The clones are of little concern if we-" Dooku began only for Rey to speak up.

"No!"

Everyone turned to her, Qui-Gon almost staggered at the press of her in the Force as she threw open her shields. Her presence rivalled all in the room. Her expression was raw, filled with hurt disappointment as she stared at Dooku.

"They are sentients!" she yelled at him.

Dooku stared at her, Rey had never raised her voice at him, not ever. He looked to Qui-Gon for a clue, but Qui-Gon had no answer for what had triggered this emotional response in Rey. She had been sombre all day, this rush of energy was jarring.

She went on, "The _Clone Wars_ matter. This could break the Republic and you say the clones don't matter? They are people, living beings forced to fight for what will be an Empire!"

Qui-Gon felt his brows raise, that was quite the leap, wasn't it?

Dooku, however, seemed more distressed with having his grandpadawan so furious with him rather than the content of her words.

"Rey, please, I did not mean to imply-" he tried to soothe.

"I heard you and you don't know what your mistakes could lead to," she said, looking as if she were on the brink of tears. Shaking her head, she turned and sprinted from the room.

Dooku gave Qui-Gon shocked eyes, but he could only turn and follow after his wayward Padawan.

Rey never lost her temper at the Council, least of all Dooku whose approval she sometimes sought more than Qui-Gon's.

With her shields open, she was easy to follow, and she didn't hide, going straight to his own rooms.

By the time he caught up to her, she was cross legged sitting at the end of his bed.

"Padawan?" he asked cautiously, sitting in front of her. "What is the meaning of this reaction? Surely you realize that you took my Master's words out of context."

She shook her head, "You don't understand."

"What don't I understand."

"You will think I'm insane." She raised her knees to her chest, hugging herself, "I think I'm crazy. I thought I could ignore it, I thought… but the Clone Wars _happened_." She looked at him, her eyes wild, "You don't know what danger the Jedi are in."

"Then explain it to me."

She closed her eyes, "I thought I could, it wouldn't matter if I said nothing, I know too little. I don't know how it happened, how any of it happened, but -but I _remember_ the stories, stories that don't exist here."

Qui-Gon was, too say the least, extremely confused. He tried to feel, to sense the direction of Rey's thoughts.

But all he could feel was her shame and panic. He also felt Obi-Wan hesitating by the still open doorway, and Qui-Gon sent a silent thought for him to remain where he was. As close as they were, Rey sometimes liked to sugar-coat things for Obi-Wan's sake. At the end of the day, however, she was Qui-Gon's Padawan, and she respected that he was her Master.

"Speak, Padawan, I do not believe you are insane," he stated, even if the Force itself was humming around her like an agitated hive of bees. Something was at the precipice of changing.

She bit her lip, and then her words burst out of her, "I'm not from Tatooine."

Qui-Gon froze, dread filling his gut. He couldn't take another Xanatos story, if she was about to tell him that she was really from some wealthy planet, or even lived the majority of her life on Naboo and had been lying about her background as a scavenger, he was going to lose a part of his heart.

He had trusted Rey with everything, given her the full faith that Obi-Wan had taught him to have in his Padawans again.

"I'm from Jakku."

Qui-Gon's thoughts stumbled over themselves as he tried to recall a system by that name. His thoughts recalled a desert planet he knew only from a memorized list he had learned as a youngling. It was smaller than Tatooine, less important, and if possible, a less hospitable landscape of sand dunes.

"Why hide that?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Because I can't explain how I got to Tatooine," she said. "Months before you showed on a broken Nubian ship, I woke in a shallow cave on Tatooine when the last thing I could remember was going to sleep in my shelter on Jakku."

Months before his arrival… why did that strike a chord in him? Hadn't something happened all those years ago.

"Rey, I still don't understand why you couldn't have shared this with us before or what it has to do with the Clone Wars."

She held herself very still as she said, "Because I wasn't just left on a different planet, I was left in a different timeline. Master Jinn, I am from sixty-six years in the future. For me, the Republic fell decades ago, for me, the Clone Wars were fact and the Jedi were little more than a myth."

Qui-Gon stared at her, speechless, then remembered the disturbance in the Force that he had felt months before meeting Rey.

He had been meditating at the time, and the Force had sung to him. It was part of the reason why when he met her, he had known she was meant to join them.

* * *

Obi-Wan felt Rey's words like gears clicking into place. _Finally,_ an explanation for all the times Rey had fallen quiet at some unknown trigger and all those times she had cut herself off mid-sentence. She was a time traveller.

And the Force itself had brought her back.

Sure, did it sound crazy? Absolutely, but if one had seen the Council's reactions, or even Qui-Gon's reaction to the Great Disturbance, all those years ago, very little would seem impossible.

After all, the Force was limitless.

Obi-Wan remained outside the door, Rey having yet to sense him, her own emotions gripping her to distraction.

Qui-Gon said soothingly, "I believe you, Rey. I believe the Force led you to where you were meant to be. But may I ask why it is the idea of these Clone Wars that finally persuaded you to confide in me?"

"I don't know much, I just know that the Clone Wars took place in these years. It led to the fall of the Republic, and in its place rose an Empire."

Obi-Wan's blood went cold, that did not sound good.

"And where were the Jedi in all of this?" their Master asked her.

"I don't know how it happened, I literally do not know any of the details. I only know that the last Jedi was a Knight named Luke Skywalker who fought in the Rebellion that overthrew the Galactic Empire."

"Well, the Jedi are a secretive lot. I suppose this explains why you didn't know anything about the Order."

"Master, I think the Jedi Order fell with the Republic," she said, almost too softly for Obi-Wan to hear.

"Rey, I really don't see how that is possible. Jedi knights do not just appear out of nothing, your time displacement aside, this Knight Skywalker must have been trained by the Order. After all, he was the only Jedi _you knew of,_" Qui-Gon reasoned.

"No, Master Jinn, Luke wasn't the only Jedi I knew of, he was known as the _last_ Jedi."

Obi-Wan pressed himself back against the wall, his legs going weak as he recalled the look on Rey's face when they had first told her there were ten thousand Jedi in the galaxy.

He put a hand over his heart.

She had looked at him as if Qui-Gon had told her their family, their entire people, had died.

_The Jedi Order fell with the Republic._

He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to believe, but he believed in Rey. Trusted her with his life.

He pressed his hand harder to his chest as if he could keep his heart from breaking.

The last Jedi.

That cursed soul, if the Jedi perished, Obi-Wan could only hope he fell with them.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, or feedback?


	28. Master and Apprentice

Chapter 28 - Master and Apprentice

"So I am your grandfather?" Obi-Wan asked over a cup of tea.

"That's what the blood tests say," Rey said, "But I never met you or heard your name before meeting you. At least, not that I can recall."

"Wow," Ahsoka remarked, "That is so wild."

It amused Qui-Gon that though his Padawan had successfully hidden her past/future for eight years, upon minutes of sharing the information with him, Rey then decided to share with first Obi-Wan who had been listening at the door and then Ahsoka who had joined them after one of their classes.

But then, Rey really wasn't one to do things by halves.

Obi-Wan shook his head, "But then how is Palpatine your father, he's older than I am." He made a face, "You don't remember him as an old man, do you?"

Rey shook her head, "No, he was definitely younger than he is now, I recognized his voice and his name."  
"And the test came back with him as your father," Obi-Wan said, "but at least this explains why we couldn't find your mother, she doesn't exist."

Dooku came in without knocking, he looked at the four of them and Ahsoka hopped over from her seat to sit cross legged beside Rey.

"You look to be in a fine mood," Qui-Gon said pleasantly.

His old Master glared at him, "Things are not as simple as they should be. The Council has decided to move to Serenno but at the rate of their planning it will take years."

Qui-Gon raised a brow, "This comes as a surprise to you?"

Dooku sank down to the low cushion, his agileness showing that despite his age, he was still quite formidable. "No, but you think that knowing the Temple sits on a Sith Shrine would prompt some greater reaction."

"That they have decided to move at all is remarkable," he said.

If Dooku had been a less civilized creature, he might have rolled his eyes, his expression nonetheless conveyed the sentiment. Moving on, the Count asked, "What have you four been talking about?"

"The Force bringing Rey back from the future and her not telling us until today."

Dooku, to his credit, didn't bat an eyelash, "The disturbance in the Force, all those years ago that no one could explain. This explains much." He gave Rey a hard look, "You were wrong, Padawan, to not trust us with this sooner."

Rey bowed her head in respect and acknowledgement, "My apologies, Master."

Qui-Gon nodded, "Obi-Wan and Satine Kryze seem to be truly her grandparents. The only question now is how Sheev fits into it. Rey remembers him as younger, however…"

"However, that contradicts the idea that she is in fact from the future. So the maternal side is accounted for, your mother, this Ms. Kenobi, has yet to be conceived," he lilted the last and met Obi-Wan's gaze, who gave his hand a confirming shake of the head. Dooku went on, "Yet if your sire is who the blood test says he is then he could not be younger."

Rey bit her lip, and Qui-Gon's gaze narrowed on her, "Speak, Padawan mine."

"I- Palpatine was just a Senator from an Outer Rim world."

Qui-Gon raised a brow, "Our beginnings do not define our journeys, Padawan. You are one of the most powerful Force sensitives in the galaxy, and you were once a slave girl on Jakku."

The words were harsh, but Rey didn't react to the reminder of her past.

That pleased Qui-Gon, any worries that Rey had been too old to be trained, she disproved by overcoming her history.

"I am from sixty-six years in the future. In my time the Clone Wars harkened the fall of the Republic, and well, I think, the Jedi as well, and in its place, an Empire. The name of the Emperor was Emperor Palpatine. But I don't know that it was Sheev or our line of Palpatines. There are billions upon billions of people in the galaxy."

Dooku shared a look with Qui-Gon, before he said, "And if that is true, then why the Force chose to bring you back is evident."

"Do you think he had something to do with the destruction of the Jedi?" she asked.

"I don't believe the Jedi could be destroyed," Ahsoka remarked.

Dooku's expression was less sure.

"You've thought of something," Qui-Gon said.

"Patterns, Padawans," Dooku mused, "Rey's joining the Order set many things into motion. And had this course of things not been disrupted…"

"What?" Rey asked, challenge in her tone, something that -again- Qui-Gon had never heard her use with Dooku before.

And Dooku, to Qui-Gon's surprise, looked abashed, "Had you not joined the Order, young Padawan, I would have remained apart from the Jedi. I am not so arrogant as to believe that my actions in the Senate have defined the change that has been taking place. But I would have remained, rather than a Council member, a leader of the Separatist movement. And over the years… there have been events I might have used to help bring down the Republic."

"But why would you have wanted that?" Ahsoka asked.

"Because the Republic is a corrupted thing, Padawan Tano."

"But the Jedi support the Republic," Ahsoka pressed.

"The Jedi work within the Republic," Obi-Wan said, "And mind your tone, Padawan mine, Dooku is a sitting Council member."

Ahsoka gave her Master a brief look before her eyes went to Rey.

Obi-Wan saw that look and his face fell into sterner lines, "Rey is a senior Padawan and Qui-Gon's apprentice. Her relationship to Master Dooku is different than yours, and you will be respectful."

Qui-Gon hid a smile behind a tea cup. When Obi-Wan and he had first been partnered, he had been very stern with him, possibly to a fault. But Ahsoka Tano was wilder than Obi-Wan had been, and Ahsoka would benefit from Obi-Wan's structure and rule abiding ways, just as Rey had.

Dooku, who delighted in being a rebel, yet upheld manners higher than the Code, gave Obi-Wan an approving look before returning to the conversation at hand. "Rey, what was your education like in your other life?"

"I was self taught mainly, I had access to an old imperial computer that had several languages on it. That's how I knew how to understand Wookie."

"But not much history and not much knowledge of your own times," he surmised.

She nodded, "Kind of a useless time traveller in that regard. I'm from the future, but I learned more about the galaxy in a day with Master Jinn and Obi-Wan than I did in a lifetime. My life on Jakku was about survival. I heard stories about the Empire, the Rebellion, and the First Order, but I knew so little that when I found myself in the past… it wasn't hard to let go of legends."

"Until I mentioned clones 'not mattering', which you took out of context."

Chided, Rey dipped her head, "I agree with Ahsoka, knowing what I do know, I don't believe the Jedi could be destroyed. But I don't have the luxury of belief, _I know_ that they were."

"Perhaps," Dooku said slowly, "the Force brought you back not for your knowledge, but for who you were."

Qui-Gon nodded.

Rey, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka looked between them, waiting for an answer, finally, all three of them asked, "What do you mean?"

Dooku smiled at Rey, "The Force could have brought back any Force sensitive that had more knowledge, could have told every pitfall of _their_ future, of their one singular future. But you, you know so little that even if you had shared what you knew with us the day you arrived at the Temple, little would have changed. Sifo-Dyas has told us more about the future than you just did.

"And yet, Sifo-Dyas, with all his Force-given visions, has not been able to disrupt the sequence of events as you have."

"I have?"

Qui-Gon smiled at her, "We may never be able to see it, not exactly, but everyone plays a part in how the future unfolds. You living, being, acting on those around you, changes things. You did not try to fix the future, you simply lived, and you are, my Jedi Padawan -an agent of the Force. You have gone where the Force has guided you."

_And perhaps where the Force kidnapped you and dropped you on a foreign planet in an alternate timeline._

She grinned, "I'm glad the Force brought me back, my life is better for having met you, Master Jinn."

He smiled, sending his own thank you to the Force as he sat with his Master, two of his Padawans, and his grandpadawan.

* * *

_Some Weeks Later_

* * *

Obi-Wan was pretty sure Ahsoka was going to be the death of him. He really wasn't sure why he thought his first mission with her would go smoothly. Of course, as south as the mission had gone, it was the _return_ trip that really put his Master and apprentice relationship into perspective.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was not averse to droids, in fact, he had grown rather fond of Padme's R2-D2 unit.

But that didn't mean he trusted all droids equally. A message he had tried to share with Ahsoka when it advised an 'alternative' route home.

Never plan for droids to be your saving grace in a mission.

Never.

He gave Ahsoka a look as they disembarked at the Temple.

She looked proud of herself.

Granted, Obi-Wan was rather proud of her too.

However, he was a little annoyed that he was going to have to explain to the Council how they had somehow got swept into a worker's revolution, spent two days camped out in an air duct, discovered a hidden mining well of plasma with slave labour, almost started a civil war, and somehow, managed to get the people they had supposed to have been protecting, kidnapped and lost because Obi-Wan hadn't made himself clear enough about 'be at the ready' not translating to 'investigate suspicious behaviour on your own by way of unregulated mine shafts', all on a diplomatic mission to a small moon in the Mid-Rim.

Qui-Gon was going lord this over him to the end of days.

It was Obi-Wan's impression that if one threw Padawan Palpatine at chaos, she would somehow manage to spin that chaos into an unsuspecting symphony that nobody had asked for. Throwing Padawan Tano into a chaotic situation was more like throwing a barrel of kerosene onto a bonfire.

"Master?" Ahsoka asked tentatively, seeming to finally catch onto his mood. "Are you mad."

He sighed, "No, Padawan, you did well."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Master, your words say one thing but your tone says another."

He smiled at her, "Hmm, well, I'm sure Master Windu will have some notes."

"What about your notes?" she pressed.

"We'll discuss after we have time to get showers, dinner, and meditate, no?"

She nodded, though she was practically skipping at his side with nervous energy.

No wonder she had been able to keep up with Rey.

The Council's reaction was to be expected.

Mace Windu drawled, "And after all that, on your _return_ flight, you were captured by General Grievous?"

The name was not welcome in this room. Of the three Council members, Grievous had assassinated, only two positions had been filled by Master Shaak Ti and Sage Fay.

Shaak Ti was wide eyed at the mission summary, Fay looked amused.

Obi-Wan adored Fay, she was like an older version of Rey. She had been practising when they had time with him and Rey. She was making progress, but she had the same problem Mor did.

They didn't lack talent, they lacked familiarity with a saber. Fay was, however, exceptional when it came to picking up the more theoretical aspects of the Form VIII, and her jumps made anyone practising Ataru envious.

In answer to Mace's question, Ahsoka replied, "R3-S6 was a traitor, Masters. It was a set up."

"And where is this droid now?" Mace asked.

"Er- I kind of fried it with my lightsaber."

Mace sat back, "And did Master Kenobi indicate to you that such an action would also have destroyed any information of how or possibly who might have hacked one of the Temple droids?"

Ahsoka twisted her hands together, her only sign of nervousness as she answered, "Yes, Master, he did, but R3-S6 wasn't recoverable by that point."

Mace turned his head to Obi-Wan, "And Grievous?"

"He ran," Obi-Wan said, "He had four lightsabers with him, and he was trained. The lightsabers were blue and green, so either stolen or bought off the black market. I do not believe he was Force sensitive, but he knew the technical motions of the seven lightsaber Forms."

"Worrying, this is," Yoda said, "Trained he must have been, in our Order few are there who know all seven forms."

"More worrisome if it is a Sith Lord who knows that much," Obi-Wan added.

"And you did not pursue him?" Adi Gallia asked.

Gallia and Stas Allie had been close.

"That was my fault, Masters," Ahsoka spoke up, "I was caught behind a wall of battle droids. Master Kenobi had to stay back to help me."

"That is not your fault," Plo Koon said, "It was Kenobi's place to be at your side. You are fortunate to have a Master that could stand against the threat levelled against you." There was more to his words than laid on the surface.

Sifo-Dyas nodded, "We need to enforce sending our people out in groups of three or four or five."

Dooku quipped without a smile, "Diplomatic missions on small moons or no."

Nope, Obi-Wan was never going to live this mission down.

Shaking his head, Mace asked, "Was there anything else, Obi-Wan?"

"No, that about covers it."

As they were leaving, Ahsoka asked, "You didn't tell them about my falling out of the duct into that private haram?"

Obi-Wan took a page from Qui-Gon's book, keeping his face passive, he said, "Everyone falls out of air ducts. Despite how useful they are most of the time, they seem not to be designed for holding the weight of intruders."

She laughed.

He cracked a smile, "Go take a shower, I'll meet you out front of the Temple on the East side."

Her eyes lit up, "We're going out to eat?"

He shoed her, "Off with you, you little menace, I need clean robes if I'm to go out."

"See you soon, Master!" she said, sprinting off.

Obi-Wan smiled to himself. Ahsoka might very well be the death of him, but at least it would be an interesting life with the time he had.

* * *

Ahsoka was pretty sure she had the best Jedi Master in the Order.

The moment they entered the dinner, the cook exclaimed, "Obi-Wan!" leaping over the table.

The Besalisk wrapped his four arms around her Master in a familiar hug. Pulling back her Master introduced them, "Dex this is my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka this Dex, owner of the finest establishment on Coruscant."

Dex roared, "Ah, Obi-Wan, there are never any doubts on how you earned your title, the Negotiator." He chuckled, "It's mighty fine to meet you little Jedi, why don't you both take a seat? I know when this one's here for information or grub. What'll you have?"

Ahsoka knew it wasn't polite to ask for three servings. But she didn't ask, Master Kenobi had simply ordered four servings and taken only one for himself.

"Thank you, Master," she finally managed to say after the first serving.

He was eating slowly, like a normal, unrushed, human being. He shook his head, "Qui-Gon used to skip meals with me. I can't tell you how many missions we went on where he forgot I needed to eat. I promised myself I would never do that to anyone else. Besides, tomorrow Rey is throwing you through your paces."

Ahsoka grinned, savouring each bite of perfectly fried meat. "She seems a lot happier since she opened up."

Master Kenobi smirked, "Neither Dooku nor Qui-Gon have told the Council yet."

She gaped at him, "Why not?"

"Because Dooku is contrary and Qui-Gon is the Order's resident maverick."

"But- I mean, are you going to tell them?"

He shook his head, "It is Qui-Gon's place. And Dooku _is_ on the Council. But as they both said, it doesn't change much. And as far as the Chancellor goes, well, I doubt any of the Council would be surprised nor would it alter their opinion much if Rey told them Sheev was a Sith Lord."

He wasn't wrong, the Council despised the sitting Chancellor.

Still, the idea of time travel was still so strange for her. She had thought about it a lot since they had left Coruscant, and she had come to the conclusion that it was more a curse than a blessing. Sure, if you could time travel, you might be able to fix some things. But the galaxy was huge, and Ahsoka for one, wouldn't want to set something worse into motion. Or even know something bad was going to happen and be unable to change it.

No, Ahsoka was glad she didn't have Rey's history/future.

"So, Master Kenobi," she said in a lighter tone, "Do you think they will remember us on that moon?"

His blue-green eyes sparkled at her with mirth, "Padawan, I'm rather sure they will have to rewrite the history books for you."

She laughed, when she dreamed of becoming a Jedi Padawan she hadn't believed the reality could surpass her high expectations.

* * *

AN: Any feedback would be much loved :D


	29. Home Lost

KEYnote: Sorry for the update warning, I separated the last chapter because of reviewers seeming jarred. 19.05.20. next post will be up by 21.05.20.

WARNING: If you don't know by now that my villains are horrid beings, you're going to relearn it in this chapter. Star Wars level of violence ahead. P.S. refer back to Chapter 26 - Moral Compass :D

Chapter 29 - Home Lost

Obi-Wan was pretty sure when Qui-Gon asked to meet him in the gardens that something was wrong.

He just had that feeling, some trembling in the Force that was warning him that all was not well.

But what Qui-Gon had to say was not urgent, yet that warning at the back of his head remained.

"I think Rey has taken a lover."

Obi-Wan snorted, "Oh no -the end of days are upon us."

Qui-Gon narrowed his gaze at him, "You knew?"

"If you're referring to Maul, they aren't lovers," Obi-Wan said. Rey didn't speak often of Maul, but he knew her tells, and she didn't see him that way.

Or at least it hadn't occurred to her to see him that way.

Obi-Wan, on the whole, so himself as a rule-code abiding Jedi, but in that area, Rey might have been an actual Saint. Many people thought that the way the Jedi were raised led to celibacy. But how Rey had been raised, with no bonds, family or friends, no examples of love or partnership, it didn't appear to be something she craved. And if love and lust were things she thought of, she kept it well hidden from him.

But Obi-Wan was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to hide that. Rey had been less-than subtle about her implications that he and Padme might be meant for each other.

He had dismissed that idea, Padme was family to him now, but she had also been his charge for four years. That was not a line he wanted to cross, especially as he promised his heart to someone.

"She spends a great deal of time with him," Qui-Gon said, unconvinced.

Obi-Wan shook his head, knowing now why they were in the gardens rather than either of their suits -he hadn't wanted Rey to hear them.

"I believe Maul is a mystic."

"Excuse me?"

"I think she's been training with him, possibly teaching him," Obi-Wan said, thinking of all the late nights she had come in sweating, her Force signature brighter -fuller somehow.

"She can't do that," Qui-Gon said, rubbing his beard.

Obi-Wan gave him a look.

"What?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, "Master…" he sighed, "Master, you did realize there would be differences between training a young teenager and a young woman who was forced to grow up early, correct?"

"I know that, but I fail to see what that has to do with her possibly training someone out of the Order."

"Probably because she doesn't know it's forbidden. Really, Qui-Gon, she isn't a child who will rebel against you. You aren't her father, and though she loves you, she will never see you as that. You are her mentor, she takes everything you say into consideration. But she is an independent adult and will make her own assessments of right and wrong."

"So she will go against the code if she reasons it's wrong."

"Qui-Gon, you haven't taught her the Code, you've taught her your impression of the Code and she has her impression on that. That's what she follows."

"Then why didn't you tell her?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, "I did, only for you to contradict me. The only other person she listens to so closely is Dooku, and he is just this side of being a Dark Sider himself. Rey is a good person, her own ideologies often align with those of the Jedi, but while her grasp of the Force is immense, her understanding of doctrine is laughable."

Qui-Gon sighed, "I thought she would at least pick up some things from Yoda."

Obi-Wan groaned, "She has. She hasn't started talking at you in riddles yet, has she?"

Qui-Gon's dark blue eyes widened in horror, "No-"

Obi-Wan shook his head, "I think he's grooming her to be a pain in the ass. Ahsoka thinks it's hilarious when she repeats my instructions back in metaphors."

"If she tries that with me, I'll have her doing my archive work for months."

Obi-Wan suppressed a smile, he had always disliked that assignment and his Master's once obsession with prophecies. And Rey had loved the archives when she first arrived, but she had been well and truly converted to the idea of the Living Force. People mattered more to her now than what she could learn from a book.

Qui-Gon sighed, "Why do you think her friend Maul is a mystic?"

"Well, first, he is Dathomirian. Second, Rey once told me he reminds her of you."

Qui-Gon raised a brow.

"Oh, come on, Master. How many Jedi have sought _and_ received teaching from the Whills?"

"Is he a Dark Sider? It is atypical for Nightsisters to teach the Nightbrothers their ways with the Force."

"According to Mor and Mace, he wasn't."

Qui-Gon sighed, "I suppose I'll just have to come to terms with her closest friends being bounty hunters, Mandalorians, and Council members."

"And younglings and Wookies," Obi-Wan said with a smile, "Really, Master, we should throw a party. Entertainment would be provided."

His Master laughed.

A laugh that was cut off abruptly they both turned to heavy footfalls of someone running toward them.

Garen Muln, a dark haired, dark eyed Knight came to halt before him, his expression was pinched. Garen and Obi-Wan had been close friends in youngling and initiate years.

"Siri," Garen gasped.

Dread filled Obi-Wan's mind, the warning he had felt from the Force intensifying, even as her name tugged at his heart.

Master Siri Tachi, the Jedi Obi-Wan had been rekindling a relationship with over the last four years. Dating her as he had been, he finally understood why Qui-Gon had been able to hide his own relationship with Tahl so well. As Jedi Masters both training Padawans, they didn't have a lot of personal time. And the moments they had both been free were rare and had become treasured and private.

Not even Rey knew of their entanglement.

But Qui-Gon undoubtedly did, seeing as the first time Obi-Wan had fallen in love with her had been early on in his Padawan years. Just as Garen likely knew as Siri had a habit of confiding in him.

"Obi-Wan," Garen said, his voice pained.

His heart clenched, the world seeming to darken around him as his thoughts tried to deny whatever it was his old friend was about to tell him.

"Obi-Wan," he repeated, clearly fighting with himself to get the words out, "Obi-Wan… Siri is dead."

His knees went weak and Qui-Gon caught him around the waist. His mind just kept saying, "No, no, no, no..." when he realized he was speaking allowed, he forced himself to stop.

He had to get a hold of himself, to control the power rising in him. He knew this going in. That what the Jedi did for a living was dangerous and that following one's heart could result in extremes of emotion which could lead to lost control, which could lead-

He tried to breathe, to centre himself, but he couldn't breathe.

Qui-Gon pulled him close. Putting one large hand to the side of his head and holding him to his just, "Breathe, Padawan mine, breathe. She's with the Force now and the Force is with you."

It was what Obi-Wan needed to hear, and he sucked in a gasping breath. The power that had been rising in him he let go to the Force. The fear, the anger, the regret passing on, leaving behind pain.

But pain was not inherently bad. To feel pain from love was a sign of compassion.

So for a brief time, Obi-Wan let himself break against that pain, trusting that his Master would catch him and that his friends would be with him.

Siri Tachi was with the Force, and the Force was with him.

Obi-Wan cried as he had never remembered crying before. Qui-Gon held him together and Garen put a steadying hand on his shoulder, giving him strength when he was at his weakest.

oOo

By the time Obi-Wan made it to see Siri's funeral, the tears had tried, and he had one single question on his mind.

"How had she died?"

The answer: She had been murdered in the Temple, a lightsaber wound through the heart. There had been no signs of a struggle. There were no leads.

Obi-Wan could hardly feel anything but numbness as Adi Gallia, who had been Siri's Master, lowered the torch to the prye.

For a moment he could almost imagine she was still alive, Siri's beautiful face was wreathed in a halo of her golden hair, her eyes closed as if she were merely asleep, she bathed in the warm light of the fire's glow. But then the fire engulfed her and she did not rise from the flames. Her arms remained still where they were folded over her chest, her lightsaber hilt at her centre.

Padawan Ferus Olin looked worse than Obi-Wan felt as he stood lost in between Garen and Bant Eerin. Garen had a hand on Ferus's shoulder, he would be the brown haired boy's Master now. Bant was in tears, her large silver eyes were overflowing with them. Reeft was holding onto her webbed hand, Jape and Prie were holding onto each other. Obi-Wan knew he should be comforting them, but it was all he could do to watch the flames and not race off to scour the Temple to find any shred of evidence, any scrap of information that might lead him to the killer.

Whoever it was was going to find themselves in dark prison never to see starlight again.

Master Ali-Alann touched a gentle hand to his wrist.

Ali-Alann, the man that had raised them offered no word or metaphor, just a soft sad smile and his presence.

oOo

After the funeral Garen, Ferus, Bant, Reeft, Prie, Jape, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka sat together in a private meditation room. Aside from the two Padawans, they had all grown up together with Siri, no more than five years separated them. Quinlan Vos was the only one missing from their group, having been still on a mission.

The air in the room was thick with grief and of them all, Bant was the most affected.

Bant's tears from the funeral had yet to abate, and she was growing more hysterical by the minute.

Obi-Wan had never seen the Mon Calamari like this, and Bant had lost people close to her before. She hadn't reacted this badly even when Tahl, her first Master, had died.

Ahsoka, who had joined Obi-Wan for moral support, was trying her best to comfort Bant. Ahsoka was by far the most articulate among them right now as she hadn't known Siri well.

Finally, Obi-Wan reached out, putting his hand over Ahsoka's where she held Bant's hand, "Bant, what is wrong?"

_Beyond Siri being murdered in the Temple, that is,_ but he didn't say that out loud.

Between gasping breaths, Bant managed to say, "I just-" sob, "can't be-" sob, "believe," wail, "could do such a thing!"

Obi-Wan exchanged a look with Garen. Bant was a Jedi Knight well on her way to becoming a Master. After Tahl, Master Kit Fisto had taken over her training. This behaviour was… unsettling.

Sure, Obi-Wan had broken down before the funeral, but Bant had been crying for hours now.

Garen shrugged.

What were they supposed to do, tell her to suck it up? That seemed callous.

Padawan Farus looked as if he was about to, however. They had gathered to tell stories and meditate together. To give and receive comfort, but Bant's behavior was making this time, this space about her rather than Siri, rather than the group of them.

And Obi-Wan hadn't believed Bant had been that close to Siri, creche mates or no.

"Perhaps," Garen ventured, "Padawan Ahsoka can take you back to your suit, Bant, so you can get some rest?"

Bant jerked back from Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, curling in on herself as she let out another sobbing wail.

At this point, Obi-Wan's concern for Bant was surpassing his grief.

Reeft their Dressellian friend, spoke softly, "She just came back from a mission. She hasn't even had time to report to the Council yet."

A knock came at the door, they all turned round to see Rey hesitating by the door, her face grim. "I'm sorry to interrupt, the Council is asking for Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan rose, he looked to Ahsoka who shook her head, "I'll stay, Master Kenobi." She gave Bant a worried look.

Obi-Wan almost smiled. Many would have run in the face of such grief, but Ahsoka was stronger and more compassionate than that. She wanted to help.

He tugged on the newly forged training bond between them in a silent thank you.

Ahsoka didn't smile, but her eyes showed that she had felt his message.

Obi-Wan went with Rey to the Council who asked him detailed questions about Siri, which he gave in detail in hopes that it would help shed a light on who could possibly have killed Siri in her own home.

oOo

Obi-Wan felt Ahsoka's panic through the bond, as the warning in the Force grew almost definitely.

He almost lost his mind when Ahsoka's call for help was abruptly cut off.

"_No!_" he shouted, racing from the room. Rey and several Council members followed behind him.

He couldn't lose Ahsoka, he couldn't, he did not know how he could survive it.

He shouldn't have left her when there was a killer on the loose.

At a cross, their group split, Obi-Wan, Rey, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto toward the mediation rooms, and the others who had followed raced down toward the younglings and initiates; if the Temple was under attack, they were the first priority.

Obi-Wan could not comprehend what he saw in the room, could not put sense to his friends who had been left bisected and cut to pieces on the floor.

Only one figure was still moving.

Garen was on the floor shaking the still body of Ferus, he was calling out in a weak groan, "Ferus- Padawan Olin! Answer me!" he shook the boy's body, "Answer me, Padawan, pleas-"

Plo Koon knelt by Garen's side, "He's gone, Knight Muln. He's gone."

Garen looked up at them, his face scared, where his eyes should be were a terrible burn where a lightsaber blow had been taking across his face. Obi-Wan couldn't even discern his eyelids.

It was a horrific wound, worse even than the scars that had blinded Tahl.

"Where's Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asked, not finding her among the bodies of his friends.

"Bant took her," Garen moaned. "She wanted you, Obi-Wan."

Kit Fisto let out a sound as if he himself had been gutted, "Bant did this? No..."

Prie who had lost both her legs below the hip, a slash running across her just, opened her eyes where she had been laying slumped across Reeft. "Hurry, Obi-Wan, hurry…"

Kit went to her, trying to do what he could to keep her alive.

Rey grabbed Obi-Wan's arm, blowing the bond between them wide, "_Obi-Wan."_

He took in a breath, and with the bond wide, he found Ahsoka, she wasn't conscious, but she was alive.

He and Rey ran as one, up and up they went. Until they had to find an access door to the top of one of the Temple buildings.

The night was lit by the traffic, yet the stars still glittered above them.

They paused a moment to take in their surroundings, on the edge of the building, Bant stood tall, Ahsoka slumped at her side, held up by a single wrist.

As Rey and he approached, their sabers sheathed, Bant called out to them in a high voice, "My Master sent me to destroy you, Obi-Wan!"

He approached slowly, without speaking, hands held up as Rey stood ready at his side, allowing him to take the lead.

Rey would kill Bant if she had harmed Ahsoka.

Obi-Wan might too if he had to, but Rey… well, she wasn't a vengeful person by nature, but there was a hardness in her, a hardness that had been forged under a desert sun and years of slavery and fighting to survive. All he had to do would be to give the signal and Rey would slay Bant.

Obi-Wan really didn't know how much more he could take this day. His voice was calm, reasonable, even light hearted as he said, "Bant, Master Fisto is with Garen."

Bant laughed, "That weak fool is not _my_ Master." Her laugh was sharp, her voice sing-song, the Force screamed at him. And he finally saw it, the Darkness wrapping around her like the vines of some thorned and invasive plant.

So much had gone wrong.

"My Master is stronger than you can possibly imagine! Join us, Obi-Wan!"

_She is actually insane,_ he thought as he said, "Alright, Bant, we can discuss this-"

"No! Where is your passion, Kenobi! Where is the boy who left the Order all those years ago for the love of a girl? I killed Siri, I knew you loved her. Yet still, there you stand, as bright as ever. Where is your rage, Obi-Wan Kenobi, where is your hate?"

His heart was breaking, he had lost nearly all his friends this day, Bant -it would seem- included. "Please, Bant, this isn't you."

She screamed at him, a full throated, ear piercing scream that could have travelled through water like a crisp bell. The sound left his ears ringing. "You must turn, Obi-Wan! You must! You must destroy who you are or I will."

"Bant," he said, voice breaking, "Bant, I don't know what has happened to you, but you're safe now. I can help you, _please_, just let me help."

She laughed that wrong laugh again, the one that was nothing like the warm and kind Mon Calamari he knew, "You help me!? Ha! You know not the power of the Dark Side." She showed all her teeth then, in a mockery of a smile, "But you will learn."

Bant yanked on Ahsoka's arm, throwing his young charge over the edge of the roof.

His heart lurched, and he had only managed a staggering step forward by the time Rey had taken to quick bounds across the divide between them, diving off the Temple.

Bant laughed, "And now you have lost them both."

Obi-Wan had his lightsaber in his hand and ignited as his heart went cold. "No, Eerin, I have not lost my Padawans."

She sneered at him, "No one could survive a drop from this height." She ignited her own lightsaber.

It was red.

Obi-Wan let all his excess emotions go to the Force as he opened himself further to it. He was a Master.

Bant was not.

There was a reason for that.

His voice was light as he quipped, "Rey has an interesting relationship with gravity."

"She's dead, Obi-Wan. Palpatine and Tano are dead."

As he could feel them both, Rey's thoughts whispering in the back of his mind as she cradled Ahsoka in her arms, her feet gently touching the stone far below before she ran toward the medic wing. They let the bond close between them so he could remain focused.

"On the contrary, Rey is taking Ahsoka to safety as we speak."

Bant screamed at him, launching forward with a flurry of blows.

_Form VII? Who had taught her Form VII?_

She wasn't perfect at the Form, Mace would have swept the floor with her, but her own Form before had been Form IV, and Ataru was a close cousin to Juyo.

Not that either helped her, the duel only lasted as long as it did because Obi-Wan didn't want to hurt her. Nevertheless, he had disarmed in a few short minutes, her red lightsaber, the kyber crystal she had tortured into submission, skittered off the side of the Temple.

Obi-Wan punched her, and Bant dropped with a thud.

The fear she looked up at him with nearly stilled his heart as he deactivated his own lightsaber. "Bant, it's over."

She shook her head, her body posture showing her defeat as she began to shake. "He told me to kill you, but I couldn't. Not you, Obi-Wan, not you."

This brought him exactly zero amount of comfort, "Oh, but killing our friends, my lover, and attempting to murder my Padawan, that's alright?" He softened his voice as he brought out a pair of cuffs from his belt. He offered her a hand up, "Who did this to you?"

Silver eyes touched with yellow and red, like the innards of some fruit. "I couldn't- Not you, anyone but you."

She put her hand in his and cuffed that wrist, "You need help, Eerin. But first, you need to tell me who did this to you? Who turned you against us?"

Her pupils spiralled, the yellow eating away at the silver as he felt her terror grow in the Force. "You don't know what my Master will do to me."

He cuffed her other wrist, pulling her to her feet, "Just tell me, Bant. You know you can trust me. I'll keep you safe from him. Just tell me who he is?"

He felt her pull on the Force, a split instant before he could react.

His lightsaber ignited.

The blue blade piercing her heart.

Her eyes cleared to the pure silver he had always known, "Never you, Obi-Wan…"

"_No!"_ He shouted, pulling his blade back, deactivating it and throwing it away from them as he dropped to his knees with her still held in his arms.

But he was too late.

Bant Eerin was already gone. Leaving him on the roof of the Temple, alone, despite the thousands of beings soaring above him.

* * *

Garem and Ahsoka were the only ones to survive Bant's attack. Garem's vision could not be restored, though Obi-Wan thought Ferus's death, his Padawan of all of a few hours had done more harm than scarring on his face.

Ahsoka, aside from the bump on the temple, was completely fine.

Master Kit Fisto who had sustained no physical injury was the farthest thing from fine.

And Obi-Wan?

Obi-Wan found sleeping difficult. Usually, he was out like a light, having what Qui-Gon considered a gift, to be able to sleep almost anywhere.

But now he laid awake into the long hours of the night, listening to the sound of Rey's tossing and turning before she finally found rest. Her soft breathing the marker of when it had grown truly late. He would lie on his back communing with the Force, always aware of the Padawan and Master bonds that connected him to Ahsoka, Rey, Qui-Gon, and Dooku.

Aware and trying not to dwell on easily they might have been taken from him.

Months passed and his grief eased, yet Obi-Wan had finally been made aware of the Darkness in the Temple that Rey and the Shadows had identified. A Darkness that once acknowledged could not be forgotten. And it was like the safest place in the world he had ever known had become a prison.

The Temple would never again be his home.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, or feedback, please?


	30. The Dathomirian

KEYnote: This chapter overlaps the end of the last chapter, next chapter picks the few months after the events of both chapter 29 and 30. Also, I mesh canon with legends lore to what I want it to be ;D

AN: And from the less and less review responses I've been getting for this story I am breaking up chapters more naturally, I know people prefer long chapters but I also feel like I've been jamming too much into chapters. I can only judge the success of chapters by the feedback y'all give me.

Chapter 30 - The Dathomirian

Maul held himself very still as Sidious paced his apartment.

"Seven dead Jedi! _Seven! _But not the _one_ I sent her to kill!" he seethed.

Maul thought he would enjoy watching his Master lose his mind.

And he did.

But it was also terrifying because all that anger, madness, and power was all too likely to land on him.

As if he had heard the thought, Darth Sidious turned to glare at him.

Those blue eyes danced with yellow and red, like needles through an egg yolk.

Maul's own eyes itched with the contacts he was forced to wear to mirror the full effect of being possessed by the Dark Side

Sidious lips curled, "What do you have to say, _Apprentice?"_ the words slipped off his tongue like a sibilant curse.

What did he think? That torturing a Jedi Knight into insanity and addicting her to the Dark Side wasn't controllable.

Sith weren't controllable. Dark Siders were typically the definition of uncontrollable, drunk as they usually were off of power. And Sidious himself had lost control of his plans, his reputation, and his own apprentice.

Darth Plagueis had contacted Maul only once in the last year to discuss Grievous, that other abomination Sidious had forged through pain and metal.

Plagueis had been far from impressed, and Maul had the distinct impression that he had cut them both loose so that they might destroy themselves.

"I think," Maul ventured, "That you have killed three Council members, a Master, a Padawan, and five other fully knighted Jedi. The Order is afraid."

"But _my _daughter is no closer to joining us."

No, quite the opposite really. Rey was more defensive of her people than ever. Although, Bant's attack on Padawan Tano had shaken her.

He had never seen her father in her until last night, a week after the incident.

She had been murderous. Not tempted by the Dark Side, but murderous all the same. Oddly, it hadn't been Obi-Wan's danger that drove her to such a deadly calm as they had sparred.

No, it had been the endangerment of someone she viewed as a youngling.

For years, Rey had been training the younglings alongside the Jedi's Grandmaster Yoda.

With her Force abilities, Maul had always wondered at her kyber crystals turning blue rather than green or even purple. At her attachment to the younglings he wondered no longer.

Green was meant for counsellors, Jedi who focused on the Force more than their lightsaber training, which she certainly could be counted among. But blue crystals were reserved for those who focused more on blade work, for those grounded in the physical world to act as guardians.

And whether or not Rey was more dangerous within the Force or with her saber was irrelevant to the fact that that's what Rey was, a guardian. Above all her ideas of the Force, Light or Dark, above her idea of the Order or even the galaxy, Rey Palpatine valued the protection of the Jedi younglings. She would lay down not only her life but her soul for them. And her kyber crystals had responded to that aspect of her. The part of her that would never abandon the young as she herself had been abandoned.

It really was no wonder that the Mandalorians adored her. And Maul truly didn't want to explain to Sidious -who was almost panting with barely contained rage- that the Mandalorians had a much better chance of converting his daughter than the Sith did.

"Kill Obi-Wan Kenobi," Sidious ordered.

Maul went very still, "Master-"

Lightning crackled the air between them, and Maul fell to his knees, bowing his head as he let the power ride over him.

He fought himself to keep from giving the familiar pain to the Force. Sidious would feel that and likely kill him. He called on the Dark, opening himself up to it. His pain calling out to it, the Force came to him, dancing with the Force electricity.

Maul let out a sound, one he made to be a sound of agony when quite the opposite was happening. The Force inside him was melding with Sith lightning, turning agony in tingling pins and needles sensation as he absorbed the energy.

Sith lightning had the potential to boil the victim's blood in their veins.

His veins were singing, as if Sidious was fuelling him as the Force used Maul as a conduit to take back the power that Sidious had ripped from it.

When Sidious finished with his temper tantrum, Maul was sweating, trembling, at channelling that much of the Force. Maul hadn't been the organic being cooked by the lightning, he had been the wire that carried the power from one point to another.

Rey had taught him her version of lightning, the lightning that was more a telekinetic technique of displacing atoms than harnessing enough energy to manifest Force electricity.

This was something else. Maul was almost certain that the Force had just shown him how to redirect Sith lightning back at Sidious.

Of course, Maul knew how to create his own Sith lightning, even knew how to make Rey's version of telekinetic lightning, but until this moment, he had never had a defense against Sidious.

He looked up at his once Master, and snarled, "She will never turn to me if she discovers I killed Kenobi."

No, Rey would almost certainly kill him. Even if Kenobi could be cornered on his own, Maul wasn't sure he could match the man who made Master by creating his own lightsaber Form. Maul would be lucky if they were equals in strength, but even then… aside from Rey and the Grandmaster, Obi-Wan Kenobi might have been the most powerful Jedi Master in the Order.

Killing him was a suicide mission in almost every regard.

"Well perhaps, she will finally turn to me."

Maul fought not to sneer, Rey wouldn't turn to Sidious if he was last living being in the galaxy.

"Go Maul. Go now. Do not dare to fail me."

Maul rose, and exited the room without a bow or word.

He didn't know where at first he was going once he got to his ship, he only knew that he wouldn't be _daring_ to try to kill Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He wouldn't risk losing Rey.

Sidious would doubtless try to destroy him once he realized that Maul was finally turning on him.

Maul plucked the contacts out of his eyes, flicking them toward the trash as he rose into the atmosphere. The feeling of freedom overtook him as he sailed toward the stars.

The Force danced about him as he gave himself wholly to it. He served the Force, and no other.

He was Sith nor Jedi, yet with him, the Force was strong.

Suddenly, he knew where he needed to go.

Dathomir was not his home, but there were other Force users there, Zabraks that were neither Jedi nor Sith. Perhaps he had family remaining. Perhaps he had people who would help him against Darth Sidious.

oOo

Maul walked blithely underneath the winding trunks and vines of his homeworld, perfectly aware of the females leaping after him with their bows and swords and whatever bit of sorcery they thought would help them against him.

He could have slaughtered them all. He could feel their shadows in the Force, their dainty signatures like small drops of ink in a lake.

Asajj Ventress was more powerful, or at least, better trained than the females stalking him as he approached the giant entrance to a palace carved out of the cliff side. The red stone had a certain aesthetic that tugged at long forgotten memories.

This had been his home once.

He was within sprinting distance of the main entrance when the females finally dropped from their perches.

Weapons pointed at him from all directions, he stopped moving forward, even though he knew none of them would be fast enough to prevent him from getting through.

The one standing before him pulled back her hood, her grey skin lined with faint purple birthmarks as if she had never bothered to tattoo herself as Asajj had done.

"State your purpose, _male_," she hissed at him.

He bared his teeth, "I've come to speak with Talzin."

"_Mother _Talzin," a white skinned female with deep blue tattoos corrected him.

"Yes, that one," he said, dismissively.

He felt their energies rise in the Force, and felt the Force delight in their emotions that the Force was both feeding into and feeding off of.

And that was why the Jedi and the Sith had their codes, because otherwise, the Force could use a Force sensitive however it pleased.

Maul himself _allowed_ the Force to speak to him, but he was an _active_ agent of the Force. These females were playthings, females who thought they could divine the secrets of the Force through ritual and tradition.

He fought not to smile, they were weak.

When he said nothing else, looks were passed between them before they waved him forward. They walked around him in a squared group as if they had taken him prisoner. He almost laughed at their naivety.

He still felt lightened from his decision to leave Sidious, knowing how it would be yet another blow to Sidious's ego and power base would further enrage him.

Karma was sweet victory.

Maul shivered at the phantom memory that surrounded him as he walked into the palace.

He was brought to an antechamber where a female garbed in red waited like a queen on her throne. Her clothes seemed to move around her and her presence in the Force…

This one was not weak.

And then he met her eyes, and recognition stirred within him. Before he could stop the word from escaping his lips, he asked in shock, "Mother?"

The female's tattooed face that had been staring at him impassively broke into one of curiosity, and she felt him reach for him in the Force. The surprise was clear in her deep voice, "Wrath? My son, you have returned to me."

_Wrath._ The name hit him like a blow, and an image of being very small in this female's lap shook through him.

The name he had forgotten, _Wrath._ It was no longer his name, this was no longer his world, but the past that Sidious had erased from him clawed back into living memory.

He had been his mother's favourite. He had always been strong in the Force, and despite his being born male, she had spoiled him.

Dimly, he remembered overhearing Mother speak with Sidious; _she_ had wanted to be trained in the Sith arts, not him.

When Sidious had come to him instead and Maul had not fought him, because he had said that Mother Talzin had wished him to be trained, to be sent away.

_You are stronger in the Force than your mother, child, your power will bring the Jedi down on your world and the Jedi will slaughter each and every one of your people._

_The Jedi kill what they fear._

And that had made sense to a child's mind, because he had loved his mother, but he had also feared her. And because Maul had been male, he had been raised not to question his mother's commands, even if he had been her favourite.

Sidious had not had to work hard to kidnap him, had not had to work hard to break him. His mother, despite all her doting, had already conditioned him for servitude.

Mother Talzin was in front of him now, and Maul allowed himself to be touched, examined by the proprietary touch of her long fingered hands. Her long nails an unwelcome sensation on his skin even if in memories her hands had been something of safety to him.

Not all females raised their male young, but Talzin had. She had raised his elder brother through childhood as she had planned to raise him and his twin to their-

His thoughts faltered.

His brothers. His _twin_.

He saw a blurred impression of them in his mind, but he could no more remember their names than he had been able to recall his own.

Talzin grabbed him by the chin as Sidious had often held his face. He struggled not to snarl at her, her thumb nail digging into his lower lip.

"You remember me?" she asked.

He felt the Force rise in him as his patience was burned away one moment at a time. He had escaped Sidious, he would never serve another Master again, not even his own kin. "My brothers?"

Talzin released him with a low laugh, "Yes, your brothers. They live, and I will have you taken to their village tomorrow. Tonight you will feast with us, Son."

The other females moved, presumably to prepare dinner.

He didn't think he would be staying on Dathomir long.

"Is your Master dead?" Talzin asked him.

"He is not my Master."

"If you have not killed him, Wrath, then you are not a Sith Lord."

"No, I am not a Sith, I am a Dathomirian."

She laughed, the sound full, deep, and throaty. He was almost certain she practised it.

The Force whispered a warning to him, to be careful of this one. He would be, he had researched his people enough to know that they did physical experiments on their males. Maul had no desire to be altered, and he would kill his mother before he allowed himself to be manipulated as such.

And he honestly had no desire to become a kin slayer and have all the Nightsisters after his blood. He had come here for allies, not to test what amounted to the Jedi arts against the sorcery of Zabraks.

"Come," Talzin said, gesturing toward a room curtained off from the throne room.

He followed, taking a seat to her right, much to one of the Nightsisters' fury and much to the apparent amusement of Talzin.

"You are an oddity within the Force, my son," Talzin remarked, "powerful, more powerful than I had ever imagined possible for one of your gender."

Maul didn't acknowledge that as he inhaled the scents of the food placed in front of, scenting for any poisons or herbs that might lull his mind.

It smelled the same as the plate they had placed in front of Talzin. Assuming they hadn't had time to prepare for his arrival, he picked up a piece of meat, sinking his teeth into it.

He felt the Nightsisters seated around him tense, but Talzin only smiled, "I see that though the Sith taught you power, they did not teach you manners."

_Ha,_ if she thought he would scrape and wait on her, she had another thing coming. The only person he might practice manners with was for Rey, anyone else could go off themselves for all he cared.

He felt the Force laugh at him -or with him. Sometimes it was hard to tell. The voice of the Force wasn't really a voice or sound, it was a presence, and opening himself up to both halves of it had given him a glimpse of it.

Talzin tapped one hand on the table, she lifted a single berry to her lips, speared on the point of her nail, which signalled to the rest of the Nightsisters seated at the table that they could eat also. Talzin's eyes never left him as he ate.

When he had finished, her own plate untouched, she said, "The Dark Side is strong with you, my son, as is the Light."

He just looked at her.

She waited, given him time to respond, when he didn't, she said, "It is possible, however, improbable, that you may even be stronger than our other Lost One, Asajj Ventress."

He bit back a growl.

He hated being compared to the baby Jedi Shadow. Maul decided then and there that he would never mate with one of these females. He had been looked down on his entire life, he would not be treated as lesser than by a female he was fucking.

"Your training-"

"You never came for me," he spoke over her, receiving several hisses from around the table in response to his interruption.

"No," Talzin said gravely, "I did not."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I thought he had killed you."

"Do not," he said slowly, "lie to me."

Fury flickered in her silver eyes, but her voice remained unchanged, "I knew not where to look."

"You didn't look," he stated.

This time her voice softened, not with kindness but so only he and those seated nearest could hear her words, "I had not the power to take you back."

He nodded once, "That, I know."

Her lip lifted slightly, and he knew it was only because she had long fought her own instincts and nature that she didn't snarl at him when she said, "And you were not worth enough to steal back."

Those words should have hurt, but they didn't. Male Dathomirians did not mean overly much to their females. Like spiders, his father, as the father of Maul's eldest brother before him, had been slain after their conception. It was a Dathomirian custom.

And a choice, Maul wondered if Talzin regretted given how powerful in the Force he had been birthed, or if she attributed all of Maul's potential to her own gifts in the Force rather than his sire's.

Talzin rose, "You will sleep under my roof again this night, my son. Tomorrow, you will be delivered to your village."

He rose also, "My ship-"

"My ship," she corrected, "has already been acquired and redocked elsewhere by our sisters. For all that is yours is mine until you are chosen as a mate or servant by another female."

And suddenly, Maul felt that he had made a mistake in coming here.

If only he had remembered his brothers instead of looking for the parent who was too weak to protect her own young.

oOo

Talzin waved him off at the entrance to her palace at sunrise. A Nightsister who kept her face hidden from him as he sat in a sidepod to her spreader. The trip to the Nightbrothers' village took nearly a half a day's journey to reach.

He watched the males of his people emerge from their homes in fear, their postures tense and resentful. He wanted to snarl at the lesser female who could inspire such a response from them.

Maul didn't mind the matriarchal society, he personally hated politics. But they were not animals.

He dismounted the speeder pod before the Nightsister could voice a command, and she turned the speeder around without pausing.

Maul flipped back his hood back to stare at the males gathering around him. He searched their curious faces.

He paused over one, slim, his tattooing intricate over ochre skin. The young male's eyes went wide, his face free of aggression or any hint of malice. "Wrath?" he asked.

Maul nodded.

The other male ran at him, only the Force singing around them kept him from going for the saber hilt hidden at his back as the male wrapped him in a hug.

Maul almost huffed out loud, _Great, another Rey._

The male pulled back, cupping his face with warm hands. Maul was the same height as this one, this one who he instinctively knew to be blood of his blood, "Brother, you've come home."

Maul couldn't bring himself to ask for his twin's name, he didn't want to admit that he had forgotten it. Especially, not with those golden eyes looking at him with joy and hope.

"Feral," snarled a voice beside them, and Maul sighed as he looked up, recognizing the voice of his older brother. The yellow skinned male was somewhat taller, and his green-grey glare widened into shock, "Wrath? You're not dead?"

"No," Maul agreed.

"I told you he wasn't!" Feral enthused, "Didn't I tell you he was alive, Savage!?"

Maul was growing worried, was his twin brother even more exorbitant than Rey? Was such a thing even possible?

Savage sighed, placing a steady hand on Maul's shoulder, "Welcome home, little brother."

"My name is Maul," he said.

Savage raised a tattooed brow, "Is that what the name that foreigner gave you?"

_Any better than the name our sire slaying mother gave us?_ He wanted to ask in turn, but instead, he said, "No, it's the name I earned."

Savage half smiled at him as Feral -his twin, grinned at him. The other Nightbrothers were backing off, giving them space.

"Where were you raised?" Savage asked.

"Mustafar," he replied, "but I've travelled the galaxy, brothers."

Feral grabbed his hand, and oddly, Maul didn't feel the need to pull away, "Did you come on your own ship?"

Maul scowled, "The Nightsisters stole it from me." And he had every intention of stealing back, hopefully without having to go on a killing spree. He truly hadn't come here to make enemies.

"That's alright," Feral said cheerily -reminding Maul painfully of Rey when she was happy, "You're home."

Maul blinked at him, _home._ What a foreign concept.

Savage wrapped them both in an embrace, "Nothing is going to separate us again."

Maul doubted very much that their elder brother had the power to keep such a promise, but feeling the power in his own veins, Maul that maybe he did.

And perhaps, he could train his brothers, even the rest of the Nightbrothers. Perhaps they might be made into a force that could rival their sisters.

Not rule them, it wasn't only power, he knew that kept the females in charge of Dathomir, culture and inclination went a long way as well. But perhaps, they could become strong enough to not be killed after siring a child, strong enough to be treated with some level of respect rather than livestock by their females.

Maul could teach his people the secrets he had learned not from Talzin, not even from his once Master, but the things he had learned from the Force itself.

He could teach them the Dark and the Light, he could teach them what the Jedi and Sith had handicapped themselves from learning.

The Force sang in his ears, and he knew coming here had been the will of the Force.

Maul smiled at his golden eyed twin brother, the Force was with them, and the galaxy would one day know of the power of Dathomir.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, or feedback? Please your reviews are lights in the dark~


	31. The Gray Jedi

AN: Sorry this was a bit late, depression sucks and I was working on _Significant Brain Damage_, because Luke as Anakin.

* * *

Chapter 31 - The Gray Jedi

* * *

Current Year - 24 BBY

* * *

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator, was being sent on a diplomatic mission to Dathomir, only problem?

He was almost certain they should have sent a female Master. Instead, the Council had sent him with Padawan Ahsoka and Padawan Rey. Which was either going to end really well or have them fleeing from the planet, possibly being followed out by explosions.

Qui-Gon was staying on Coruscant to argue with politicians in the Republic.

Which in Obi-Wan's experience, when the Council finally got to the point of throwing Qui-Gon at politicians the Order had reached a point of not caring about their own reputation if it meant giving the opposition a really bad day.

Why, one might ask, weren't the Council sending Knight Ventress, because Asajj had started taking after her Master in recent years a bit too well. Asajj, like the Mor, was called in when deadly force was advisable, not to broker amenable relations over wine after surrendering one's weapons.

Asajj had made the call to Mother Talzin to request a formal meeting and permission to land.

Rey was piloting, which meant they would likely arrive earlier than scheduled. Obi-Wan sighed as he sat behind his own Padawan who was acting as co-pilot. Rey was teaching Ahsoka how to pilot and maintain ships, which wasn't a bad thing for anything excluding his sanity as Ahsoka grew more daring as a pilot.

He closed his eyes as the two Padawans discussed the ship, and Rey bemoaned all the thing's faults and shortcomings. Which Obi-Wan was always _delighted_ to hear about before entering hyperspace in what Rey was describing as a 'polished tin can.'

Unbuckling themselves, both high energied females turned to look at him.

Ahsoka, Obi-Wan knew, was excited about next week, which would mark her thirteenth birthday, the last truly marked the age day for a Jedi learner.

Qui-Gon had marked the day by giving him a rock.

A little stone that Qui-Gon had with him because he had considered it pretty.

Obi-Wan had something a bit more inspired in mind, and he was hoping that negotiations on Dathomir wouldn't hold them up.

"I contacted Maul," Rey said, "he's on world."

"Is he?" Obi-Wan asked, "Why?"

"He said he was reconnecting with his family. He's going to meet us there when we land."

"Ah, so I finally get to meet him in person?"

Ahsoka laughed.

Obi-Wan raised a brow at her, "Is there something you want to say, young Padawan?"

She smiled, "Nothing Master, it's just that pictures of 'your unconscious body' being thrown around by Maul might have circulated throughout the Padawan halls."

_Of course, they did._ He sighed, "Rey, where did you even find a shapeshifter to help you with that stunt."

"Maul is a bounty hunter, he called in a favour. Besides, who doesn't enjoy infuriating the Jedi Order?"

"Most people," he said.

Ahsoka grinned, "Most people are no fun."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "Rey, stop corrupting my Padawan."

"Ahsoka," Rey said in response, "work harder in corrupting your Master."

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

"You're both going to be the death of me," he said, wondering what awaited them as they lowered into the atmosphere.

Rey landed the ship, explaining what she was doing so Ahsoka could learn. Although his Padawan did know how to pilot a ship, Rey was giving details that formal manuals didn't have.

Obi-Wan felt strangely apprehensive of meeting Maul, and he couldn't quite decide why. When the ramp lowered, he figured it had to do with the fact the Zabrak wore all black and had an aura of power around him that not even all Jedi had.

But then he forced himself to take a breath as Rey ran to give the scowling figure a hug.

Obi-Wan could feel the Zabrak in the Force, and while not wholly in the Light, nor was wholly in the Dark.

Maul stepped back from the hug first, as Rey waved Ahsoka forward and him. "Maul, this Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and as you know, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan bowed in unison with Ahsoka, "A pleasure to finally meet you in person. And my gratitude for helping to clear my name some months ago."

Maul bowed to them without a word.

Ahsoka asked him, "Did you grow up here?"

"No."

She smiled up at him, but he said no more.

Rey punched his shoulder, "Be nice."

He bared his teeth at her, "I answered the question."

Rey rolled her eyes, "Did you find your family?"

"My mother and brothers."

"What about your dad?" Ahsoka asked.

"My mother ate him," Maul said flatly.

Ahsoka blanched, "Really?"

He shrugged, "Perhaps."

"Maul," Rey chided.

"She did kill him, Rey, and they don't exactly share with us what they do with the bodies."

"But why?" Ahsoka asked.

"Tradition," Maul, king of the mono-word responses, answered.

Ahsoka gaped at him, "Female Zabraks traditionally kill their husbands."

"Our people don't marry, and yes, Dathomirian Zabraks it is traditional for the females to kill their mates after conceiving a child."

Obi-Wan was suddenly glad that Rey had told Maul to meet them here, because _that_ had not been in the research texts.

"Why?" Ahsoka asked.

"You would have to ask my mother," Maul said.

"Is it wise for me to be here?" Obi-Wan asked.

Maul shrugged, "You are an outsider, a Jedi, and not a Zabrak. Male or no, they will value you differently."

"Who is your mother?"

"Mother Talzin."

"Your mother is the leader of your people?" Ahsoka asked.

"Leader of the females, yes," Maul answered, his amber eyes were on Rey, "I need a favour, Apprentice."

"Name it," Rey said easily, leaning on her staff as if she needed the support. Ahsoka had given her one of her saber hilts so when the Dathomirians took their weapons, they might leave Rey her staff.

"I cannot move freely on this planet without a female," Maul said, "I need you to take me as your servant or mate."

"Mate," Rey said, "I don't do servants."

Obi-Wan almost laughed at the expression that crossed Maul's face. Obi-Wan had told Qui-Gon that they were just friends, and he still believed that, he even thought that Maul had believed that.

Until now, until Rey had said the word 'mate' so carelessly, oblivious to Maul's response.

"So is there anything we should know about your mommy dearest?" Ahsoka asked.

"Don't call her that," Maul said, "Because she is powerful enough to kill you."

"Powerful enough to kill you?" Rey asked.

Maul shrugged, "Unlikely, but she knows more ritualized magick than any of us. Raw power and direct fighting isn't the only way to be deadly."

"How worried should we be?" Obi-Wan asked.

"You have permission to be here?" Maul asked.

"Yes."

"Then you have little to worry about, unless you give insult."

"Oh, good," Ahsoka said. "Can we go now?"

Maul motioned them forward, Rey 'limping' at his side, "How have you been? I feel like it has been ages since I last saw you."

"I have a twin brother."

"Really?" she asked, her smile bright, "is he like you?"

"No," Maul said, deliberately not looking at her, "Would you ask Talzin if you can have my ship?"

"She stole your ship?" Rey asked, laughter in her tone.

"I couldn't figure out how to steal it back without slaughtering half my people."

"They would die for a ship?" Ahsoka asked.

"The Nightsisters are prideful."

"And the Nightbrothers aren't?" Obi-Wan asked.

Maul flicked amber eyes at him, "No, the Nightbrothers fear their females."

"As well they should," came a voice from above.

Of the four of them, only Ahsoka seemed surprised. Obi-Wan shook his head slightly and his Padawan dipped her head in a slight bow, understanding the rebuke.

"Merrin," Maul hissed.

"Wrath Opress," the female snarled.

"Maul, my name is Maul."

The female Zabrak, with short cropped grey hair and brown eyes, grinned, "You don't belong here." Other Nightsisters dropped from the viney trees, "Only the three Jedi were welcomed."

Obi-Wan handed over his lightsaber, as Ahsoka and Rey did. But the Nightsisters didn't take Rey's staff away, just the decoy saber Ahsoka had lent her.

"Rey Palpatine is my mate, I follow where she leads me."

Obi-Wan hid a smirk at the surprised look Merrin and her sisters gave Rey.

Merrin sniffed, "She's weak."

"Looks can be deceiving," Rey said with a guileless smile.

Obi-Wan rarely entered enemy territory unarmed feeling so safe.

But then Rey would probably throw him her saberstaff if things went south. Even if she was holding it now as if her left leg would give if she let it go.

The main hall to the Dathomirian female clan was impressive, and Mother Talzin herself was quite impressive.

And where he had been worried that Mother Talzin would focus overly on him being the designated Master for this meeting, he found that his presence was hardly marked as the witch queen with an almost tentacle-like wardrobe began to circle Rey.

After circling Rey, she reached a long fingered hand to hold Rey's chin. Rey stayed passive under the touch, meeting Talzin's interested grey eyes with calm hazel ones.

"You are a powerful one," Talzin murmured. "A Jedi unfortunately, however-" she looked at Maul, "she is more powerful than you, my son." She smiled at Rey, "As is the proper Order of things. I want your offspring."

Obi-Wan put a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder as his young Padawan shook with suppressed laughter.

Rey bared her teeth, "You will never lay hands on my young, Talzin. I am a Jedi and my children would remain with the Order."

Talzin released her abruptly, and Obi-Wan didn't think it was show when she caught her balance on her staff. "My son is not a Jedi."

"Your son is my mate. He belongs to me."

Obi-Wan was proud of her. He knew Rey abhorred slavery in all its forms, but this wasn't about Maul's freedom. He had come to her with a favour, and it had been implicit in his request that in this society he had more status as her mate than Talzin's son.

Talzin nodded and turned on Maul, but Rey stepped to the side, in front of Maul.

The gesture was lost on no one, and Talzin laughed.

"Ah, my dear, if you ever wish to abandon your Order, you would be most welcome."

"We came here on Jedi business," Rey said, voice having lost all trace of humour.

Maul put a tattooed hand on her waist, a warning not to pick a fight.

"Mating with my son is not Jedi business."

"No," Rey agreed, "I've been with Maul for years."

Obi-Wan wondered if she knew how bad that sounded, also if Qui-Gon had been with them, he would have lost his mind.

Saying Qui-Gon could be a bit overprotective when it came to Rey was a bit of an understatement.

But then Obi-Wan would have been less than pleased if Ahsoka took up with a Force user who dabbled in the Dark Side and then hid that relationship from him.

Obi-Wan stepped forward, "If there is somewhere we could sit down to speak? We didn't come to take too much of your time, Mother Talzin."

Talzin turned to him, seeming to see him for the first time. She looked between the four of them with a frown, but gestured to them to follow her.

They were shown to a small curtained off room, an orange globe rested in the centre of the table like a very strange centre piece.

Obi-Wan could feel the Dark Side pulsing off it.

_Don't touch,_ he whispered to Rey through their bond.

_No shit_, she sent back.

Maul gave them a wide eyed glance as if he had heard them.

Obi-Wan gave him a direct look, _Can you hear us?_

But Maul made no indication that he had heard or not heard the thought, even as Obi-Wan reached for a bond that he never knew had been there.

It was a Master and Padawan bond, one that tied Maul and Rey together.

Obi-Wan felt a chill go down his spine, as he realized how many times Maul had addressed Rey as 'Apprentice'.

If she thought she could avoid an interrogation after this meeting, she was sorely mistaken. And as she was still a Padawan, Obi-Wan would have to tell Qui-Gon.

Somehow he didn't think Qui-Gon would be thrilled.

"Now tell us, Master Kenobi," Talzin said after they had all been seated, "What brings the Jedi to Dathomir?"

"The Jedi have decided to build another Temple," he said.

"Have they now," she asked, eyes sharpening on him like a hawk, "And you wish my permission to place it here? What an odd request."

Obi-Wan smiled, "No, Mother Talzin, the Jedi merely wished to re-establish diplomatic relations. The new Temple is being constructed on Serreno, a near enough neighbour to your system that we may on occasion bump shoulders."

Talzin leaned back, "Serreno… yes, with Count Dooku as Council member I see how this could come about. But I can assure you, Master Kenobi, that despite the Nightsisters' differences with the Jedi, we wish you no ill will, and I would not stir up chaos for amusement's sake."

Obi-Wan smiled at her, "That is good to hear."

"Let my son's union to one of your number, as well as Asajj Ventress's knighting be a testament to the peace between our peoples." Talzin made a small flick with her hand, and platters of food were brought in, "Eat. Will mark this as a night of celebration."

Obi-Wan looked to Maul, and the Zabrak nodded, _Not poisoned._

Damn, Obi-Wan thought, Maul had become a part of their linked bonds. He probably should have been more worried than he was but them, Obi-Wan trusted Rey and if Rey trusted Maul, then he could too.

Ahsoka asked, "Do you really eat the males after conceiving a child?"

Obi-Wan nearly choked on the water he had been drinking.

Talzin, however, wasn't surprised by the question, smiling seductively at Ahsoka, she said in a honeyed voice, "If you wish to know, my darling, then becoming a Nightsister is not restricted to Zabraks."

Ahsoka pursed her lips, "No, thanks."

Rey was fighting not to laugh as she caught Obi-Wan's gaze.

He took a deeper drink of his water, he really had his work cut out for him if he hoped to train Padawan Tano in diplomacy.

And he had thought Rey wasn't subtle.

As if to prove his thought correct, Rey asked, "Can I have Maul's ship back?"

Talzin smiled at her, "Of course, my daughter."

"Thank you," Rey said.

Maul rolled his eyes, clearly less concerned about giving offence to his Mother than Ahsoka had been.

* * *

Maul was pretty sure he wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight when Talzin directed them all to rooms.

The one she offered Obi-Wan and his Padawan had two beds, the one she offered himself and Rey, had a single bed.

The four of them were standing alone in the hall.

"You should visit my brothers' village tomorrow," Maul told them.

Obi-Wan tilted his head to the side, "You think they will protest the Jedi moving to a nearby system?"

Maul shook his head, "No, but my older brother, Savage Opress requested that I ask you to come."

"Us specifically?" Rey asked.

He shook his head, "No, in fact, I wish your Council had sent Ventress and the Mor."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Because Talzin respects them."

"And she doesn't respect us?" Ahsoka asked.

Maul scowled at the young Togruta, "Not hardly."

"It was debated if we should send them or not but Mor and Asajj are not the most diplomatic-"

"This is Dathomir," Maul said, "Talzin doesn't give a damn how well you can speak."

"Is there a problem we aren't aware of?"

Maul gritted his teeth, not wanting to admit that in the last half of the year he had spent trying to help his brothers he had ended up putting them in untold danger.

Both from the Nightsisters and the Jedi.

"I do not know the right answer. I do not know if Asajj would side with the Nightsisters or help establish a new treaty between our clans."

"Asajj is a Jedi Knight, she would help you, even if her talents tend to lean toward the aggressive," Obi-Wan said.

"Aggressive is fine," Maul said.

"What's happening?" Rey asked.

He shook his head, "Will you call your Council? Savage does not believe this is an issue that can be resolved on our own."

Obi-Wan narrowed blue eyes at him, "What issue?"

"You will see for yourself tomorrow."

"If you wish me to request two more Jedi enter the system without consulting Talzin, then I need a reason."

"Civil war -potentially," Maul said softly.

"What in the names of the stars did you do?" Rey asked.

He shrugged.

"Maul," she growled.

He looked away from her, his mate, and ended meeting the interested gaze of the Togruta girl, "The Nightbrothers have always been kept in subjection to the Nightsisters. My brothers wish to be free to explore their own strength in the Force and not be slaughtered after conceiving children. We do not wish to go to war over the issue."

"Why not fight for that?" the little Padawan asked.

Maul sighed, "I could kill every Nightsister in this clan, Talzin might give me some problems, but I could do it. But I don't wish to."

"Why not?" she asked, "If they are enslaving you then-"

"They are our females. Without them, we will literally cease to be a people, they are our lovers and mothers and sisters. And males tend to be less dominant; we aren't asking to rule them, my brothers just want to be seen as more than chattel."

Obi-Wan, too observant for his own good, "And I'm guessing it isn't just this 'new' sentiment of some gender equality that has your older brother afraid of civil war?"

Maul sighed, looking at Rey, "I've maybe been training them to be more than they were. Formal weapons training, more direction within the Force. But few of them are strong enough to defend themselves against the Nightsisters' magicks."

Obi-Wan frowned at him, "What kind of training exactly?"

Maul wondered with some amusement how pissed this Master would be when he saw what his teachings had brought about.

There was some truth to being too thorough.

Rey touched Obi-Wan's arm, "I think you should call the Council, maybe Fay could help, she worked well with Mor and Asajj on their last mission."

Obi-Wan nodded, "I'm sure she would be pleased to be given a mission off world. Dooku said she's been growing depressed on Coruscant."

"Understandable."

Obi-Wan gave her a look and she grinned at him, before sighing, "Alright, I'll call in backup, by request of the Dathomirian Nightbrothers. Maul, if I could have a word."

Ahsoka and Rey both turned to their respective rooms, respecting Obi-Wan's authority over them.

Maul couldn't help but watch Rey as the door shut between them.

"She doesn't understand what you want from her," Obi-Wan told him softly.

Maul didn't pretend to misunderstand his meaning. Even if the feelings were newly woken, he wouldn't lie and say that he didn't want what had been offered to him, even if it was only a ruse.

"It isn't against the Order's rules, and Rey is an adult, but you have to speak with her first."

Maul looked at the Master Jedi and spoke without thinking, "I thought for a long time that she was in love with you."

"You know better now."

"I know she cares more for you than me."

"That doesn't mean you couldn't have more in the future," Obi-Wan said gently. He reached a hand out, putting a hand on his arm.

Maul didn't flinch away, the Force a soft hum between them.

Somehow, the Master and apprentice bond between himself and Rey had extended to Obi-Wan.

"However," the Jedi said, tightening his hand on his arm, "If you hurt her, emotionally, physically, I will kill you."

Maul growled low at him, wondering how he would react if Maul told him that he had defied his Sith Master to save his life. Because Maul had his lightsaber hidden at his back, Obi-Wan didn't.

Maul could, theoretically, slay the Master now and return to Sidious.

But what was the point in that? Maul hated Sidious, and he wanted to keep Rey. Killing Obi-Wan Kenobi would lose him her.

And it would likely break her.

Maul would never willingly do that, so he nodded to her best friend, "Understood, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan patted his shoulder, and said in a teasing tone, "Have a good night." Before he retreated into his room.

Maul sighed and entered his own.

Rey was already in bed, her hair unbound from the buns and braids she wore it in these days. He hadn't realized she had taken to the braids because she had grown it out longer.

For a human, she looked unaged from the first time he had seen her on Naboo.

"What did Obi-Wan say?"

"Nothing important," he said, stripping off the outer layers of his robes. When he got to his saber, he passed it to her and she put it between the side table and the mattress, out of sight if someone came in.

"Your mother is quite the interesting character."

"You will like my brothers. My twin, Feral, reminds me of you."

She grinned at him, "You poor soul."

He rolled his eyes as he slipped off his shirt. He hesitated, "You are alright sharing the bed. I can sleep on the floor if you-"

She waved him off, scooting to the side and patting the bed, "The bed's big enough, besides it won't be our first time."

Maul's hearts raced in his chest as he slipped into bed with her. The difference between their first time and now, was that she had been emotionally distraught.

Tears were not one of his kinks, Rey's unbound hair spread across his pillow might have been. It took them a few moments to adjust. Despite her claim that the bed was big enough, she ended up laying across his chest with not much room for him to shift away from her.

"I missed you," she said before yawning and nuzzling her face against his skin.

Her words seemed to direct the blood in his veins south.

He didn't know exactly why his opinion of her had altered so abruptly when she claimed him as her mate. Perhaps he had always lusted after her, perhaps he had always hoped for something deeper between them.

But on Coruscant, where he had learned most of his social behaviour, humans had mainly two types of relationships, lovers or marriage.

What Maul had with Rey was more than carnal, but he had no desire to be united with her by human law. Such practices were… unappealing to him in more ways than he had to describe.

But mates? Mates Maul could understand. Mates spoke of ownership, exclusivity, a bond that was more natural. He could be her mate without changing anything in the relationship.

Well, aside from…

He swallowed hard, stroking a hand down her back as he had the last time, "Rey?"

He waited for a response, none came.

The room was dimly lit, but with his night vision, it was enough to see her face where she rested against his bare chest.

She was asleep.

He let out a soft growl.

_By the core of Mustafar._

It was going to be a long night.

Three hours past, and she finally shifted in her sleep, enough so that Maul could untangle himself from her enough to turn his back on her, so she slept with her back pressed to his.

Maul squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he should get out of bed. If he wanted any rest tonight, the floor really was his best option.

But he couldn't bring himself to leave her.

And while he was still warring with himself, she turned and wrapped herself around the back of him.

He bit back a groan, her under robes were thin enough that he could feel the soft rise of her breasts.

He began counting her breaths to calm himself.

It was a stupid idea that he regretted even thinking of as her soft breaths blew against his spine.

Darth Maul had been tortured most of his life, had been damn near broken by Darth Plagueis and the Force itself.

And then she wrapped one of her legs over his hip.

And Maul almost whimpered.

This. Was. Torture.

The Force laughed at him, reminding him that this torture was purely self-inflicted.

* * *

Obi-Wan smiled at Maul brightly the next morning as they headed toward the Zabrak's newly re-acquired ship, "Sleep well, dear friend?"

Maul snarled at him, his eyes looking a bit bloodshot.

Rey touched his arm, "Are you alright?"

He stilled under her touch, and growled, "Fine."

"So I'm guessing you two didn't _talk_ last night?" Obi-Wan asked.

"What are you talking about?" Rey asked, completely oblivious to the way Maul was looking at her, "Maul, talk to be me about what?"

Ahsoka smirked, and opened her mouth, but then her words seemed to die as they approached the ship.

Obi-Wan stopped too, staring at the offending vessel.

Rey shook her head, "I'm not getting on that thing."

"It's my ship," Maul said.

"It's evil," Ahsoka said flatly.

"I don't know, Padawans, it has the whisper of adventure to me," Obi-Wan said, giving both females a cheeky smile.

Ahsoka and Rey both gave him equally amused looks. Rey patted Maul's shoulder, "Ahsoka and I will follow in our ship, Obi-Wan can go with you on an 'adventure.'"

Maul shook his head, "No-"

Obi-Wan spoke over him, "Splendid idea, see you two soon."

Rey nodded, "I'll follow you, Maul, just stay above the treeline."

Maul sighed, but nodded.

Ahsoka gave Obi-Wan wide eyes, but didn't linger as she followed Rey to their ship.

"Seriously though," Obi-Wan said as they turned back to the Zabrak's ship, "what's wrong with your ship. It's like a dark shadow in the Force."

"It has a history."

"A history that the two Shadows and the Sage you had me invite to the planet are going to be pleased with."

Maul didn't answer, the plank of his ship swooshing open.

Obi-Wan had a very bad feeling as he entered the interior, but though the ship whispered enticements, he found himself unmoved.

The Dark Side was nothing that had ever appealed to him, not even when he lost his temper. No, once Obi-Wan lost control, his connection the Force diminished, the Dark Side had never truly called to his heart.

Maul seemed to be as fine a pilot as Rey.

"You didn't talk to her last night about the significance of being declared mates, did you?" he asked.

"No," Maul said.

"Why not? Ahsoka is turning thirteen soon and even she noticed."

"Rey fell asleep."

"Ouch."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"She likely will."

Maul growled, though Obi-Wan wasn't sure if it was directed at him or not. "She doesn't ask for your opinion as often as you think."

Obi-Wan felt his gaze narrow, "What does that mean?"

The ship was directed to its landing, "You'll see."

Somehow, that response was more ominous to Obi-Wan than the Dark Sided ship.

When they disembarked Mor, Fay, and Asajj were already there waiting for them, Rey and Ahsoka not far behind.

Obi-Wan felt the charge in the air, and looking past an amused Mor and Fay, as well as an Asajj holding a single hand to her forehead, he saw the source of the disruption in the Force.

He opened himself up to his scenes so he saw the fifty or so male Dathomirian Zabraks, all holding some version or spear, with more than just his mortal sight.

If he hadn't known better, he would have said he was looking at a group Jedi Padawans.

Only they weren't Padawans, and they were hardly cemented in the Light Side of the Force. They weren't even, at a guess, as strong or as dangerous as the Nightsisters. But this community of Force sensitives was… something.

Mor's greeting was, "The Jedi High Council is going to lose their everlasting minds."

Asajj was less optimistic, "They aren't going to have time, Mother Talzin is going to slaughter them all."

Fay laughed, a sound akin to bird song, "This is wonderful! Aside from Corellian Jedi there hasn't been an offshoot of the Jedi Order in centuries. And who would have thought, a Gray Jedi Order on Dathomir."

Maul crossed his arms, "We are not Jedi."

Fay smiled at him, pushing a lock of blonde hair behind a pointed ear, "No? What Form do you have them studying?"

Maul's amber gaze met Obi-Wan's dead on, "Form VIII, Shono-Mii."

Obi-Wan felt the shock of his words, before he and everyone else looked at Rey.

She winced, holding up her hands, "Guessing I'm in trouble?"

"You taught someone unaffiliated with the Order how to use a lightsaber?" Obi-Wan asked.

Oh, Qui-Gon was going to kill them. Obi-Wan had trusted Rey and vouched for her relationship with Maul.

"I didn't teach Maul how to use a lightsaber."

Maul stepped to her side in unity, "As you can see, Jedi, my brothers are using staffs and spears, not lightsabers."

"A pity," Fay mused, "If you are grooming the first official Gray Jedi Order in who knows how long then you should have lightsabers."

Mor sighed, "Yes, that's exactly what we need, a bunch of half trained Dark Siders running around with lightsabers. What a brilliant idea."

"We are not Dark Siders," Maul asserted, "Nor are we Jedi, gray or otherwise."

"You're practising the Way of the Butterfly," Mor said drily, "It is literally impossible for you to truly use that form and align yourself with the Sith."

"Shono-Mii doesn't require the use of the Light Side," Maul said.

Obi-Wan looked at him sharply, "Yes, it does."

Maul bared his teeth, "The Force is neither Light nor Dark. It is the Force."  
"That's what a Gray Jedi would say," Fay sang.

Maul snarled at her, causing the Sage to laugh.

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose as Mor said, "Yes, the Jedi High Council is just going to _love_ this."

Rey spoke up then, "I mean this isn't a bad thing, they are all Force sensitives, don't they deserve to have training even if it isn't with the Order."

Obi-Wan huffed a laugh, smiling at her, "Qui-Gon has only himself to blame for you, Padawan Palpatine."

"But why is everyone saying the Nightsisters are going to kill them?" Ahsoka asked, her not always well timed, but usually astute questions bringing them back to task.

"Because the Nightsisters don't share power," Asajj said.

"Are we interrupting?" a yellow skinned Zabrak asked, taking a hesitant step forward, another male, closer to Maul's height peeking around him. The rest of the Nightbrothers had held farther back.

"No," Maul said, "Jedi, this is my older brother Savage Opress. And Rey, that's my twin brother, Feral Opress. Brothers, this is my mate, Rey Palpatine."

Obi-Wan watched with interest as Feral docked around his older brother, and ran to stand in front of Rey.

Rey bowed to him, her smile wide, "It's nice to meet you, Feral."

Feral bowed awkwardly, before simply pulling Rey into a hug. Rey laughed and hugged him back.

Because Obi-Wan's second sight was still wide open, he could feel that Feral was different from the rest of the Dathomirians he had met thus far.

There was not a shred of darkness to his aura.

He was like Maul's opposite.

"I'm so excited to finally meet you," Feral said, his aura almost glowing with the same light that Rey shone with.

Mor shook his head, "I think Rey is the universe's answer to all the things Qui-Gon has gotten away within his life."

Obi-Wan sighed, wondering about something that had long been meditated on by wiser and greater men than him; what exactly was the Force's idea of balance?

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, or feedback please? Stay safe, much love to you all!


	32. The Rock

WARNING: PG-13 content, which, yes, is the Star Wars rank. I am not upping it to M for ya pansies who can handle genocides but not a strip tease.

Chapter 32 - The Rock

"Mother Talzin," Fay said gently, "please, they aren't asking to join your clan, they are asking for freedom to pursue their own magicks, and when you choose them as mates, they are asking to be returned to their village unchanged and alive. You lose nothing."

"They are asking not to be our servants anymore," Talzin argued, glaring at Savage who glowered back.

Obi-Wan really hoped this didn't turn south. He was pretty sure Talzin was underestimating the males, and as long as she continued to underestimate them the more lenient they would be.

They had been staying in the village for some days, and Obi-Wan, Fay, and Rey had been helping the male Zabraks with Shono-Mii. Some were better than others, but it made Obi-Wan realize that maybe Qui-Gon had been right about the Order taking in children too early.

Of course the Dathomirians were interesting case study, it wasn't so common in other races for them all to have some Force abilities. Their own culture in some ways mirrored what the Temple mimicked by bringing in younglings.

The females, of course, have much more developed routes.

"We are not your slaves," Savage growled.

Talzin smirked at him, "I have the power to make you such."

"And soon we will have the power to defend ourselves," Savage growled.

Despite Maul being the teacher and the Master of this renegade new Order of Gray Jedi, he had remained mostly silent, letting his older brother take the lead.

Which Obi-Wan supposed made sense, Maul hadn't been raised on this planet. These were his people but not necessarily his culture or politics.

"Mother," Asajj interceded, "the males have asked for aid from the Jedi, and the Jedi have no sympathy for slavers."

Mor gave his graduated apprentice a look at that line of tact, but then they had been talking in circles for hours.

"Dathomir is outside of the Republic," Talzin retorted.

Asajj shook her head, "But the Order is leaving the core. We will be your neighbours and you know it isn't in our people's nature to turn down those who ask for help."

"And will the Jedi be taking on the Hutts?" she snapped.

"Yes," Mor and Rey said together.

Obi-Wan hid a smile at that, times were changing.

Talzin looked at that, "I don't see how such a thing could be accomplished and I don't know how this any business of the Jedi. They are _our_ males and we will do with them as we wish. And I do not wish the Jedi's involvement."

"Mother, may I speak?"

All eyes turned on one of the Nightsisters standing by the curtained wall.

"Yes, Sister Merrin, you may speak," Talzin allowed.

"I don't wish to live with the males, nor would I trust them as servants if they are training-"

"I will not allow them to continue training as the Jedi."

Merrin did not quell at her clan leader's rebuke, "Which means we will have to watch over them to prevent that. They are already afraid of us, terrorizing them more is only going to convince them they need to train more not less."

Talzin looked as if 'terrorizing them' had been the first thing on her to do list.

"I will not allow you to torture us," Maul said, speaking up for the first time.

Again Merrin spoke before Talzin could rebuke her son, "And Mother, many of us would prefer not to execute our mates after conception."

Talzin made a rude sound at this, "Who would prefer this?"

Every single Dathomirian Nightsister in the room except for Asajj raised their hands in a three finger gesture.

Obi-Wan felt Mor's leg brush his under the table as he kicked Asajj in the shin. Aside from a tightening around the eyes, she made no exclamation, only raised her hand in the same gesture.

Talzin looked truly surprised by this, "Why would you want the sires to live? Sires are territorial if allowed to live."

"Then let them be territorial," Merrin said, "it isn't like their personalities were stellar before an increase of testosterone. Especially for our male sons when they are delivered to their village, it would be good to know they had fathers."

Mother Talzin shook her head, "I don't understand this wish, but very well, if the Sisters are in agreement about not following the Ritual of Conception, so be it."

Obi-Wan shared a small look with Rey, one victory.

"But I will not allow them to become Jedi on Dathomir."

One step forward, two steps back.

"There are other clans on Dathomir that would welcome us, Mother Talzin," Savage said.

She snarled at them, "You belong to us."

"We are not slaves," Maul said, "your choices are simple, Talzin. Let us remain separate, only for procreation or pleasure shall we bother one another."

"So you will allow the males to be servents?"

"No," Maul and Savage said together.

"Mother," Merrin said gently, "rarely have we ever had to force a male to our beds, and without fear of execution, if they successfully sire a child, they will be even less reluctant. We don't need the males for anything else, we can go on without them."

Talzin gestured a hand toward Maul, "He can not train an entire Order, he has not the skill. Half trained Force users are a danger to more than just themselves."

Which marked the difference between Talzin, a Dark Sider and a fallen Jedi or Sith. She knew there were limits, boundaries that could not be crossed.

"Mor and I have decided to stay on and help," Fay said.

"I told you," Talzin said coldly, "I did not want Jedi interference."

"Maul is returning with us to Coruscant," Obi-Wan said, "to plead his case before the Jedi High Council, the Dathomirian males will be recognized as their own entity."

"Are you threatening me?" she asked.

"We are searching for a compromise to prevent warfare between the males and females," Rey said.

Talzin stared at her, then at Asajj. She was quiet for a long moment, "Alright, a proposition then, allow Asajj to be trained as a Nightsister, and I will let the Nightbrothers do as they wish, including accepting aid from the Jedi Order."

Mor exchanged a glance with Obi-Wan, that was a dangerous proposition, Asajj danced very close to the Dark Side, and to learn sorcerer-

"I accept," Asajj said.

Yet Asajj was no longer a Padawan.

"And Rey-" Talzin began.

"No," Maul growled, "Your deal has been accepted between Dathomirian females and you are honour bound to follow it. You cannot add to the deal now that it has been decided."

Talzin almost seemed pout at him.

Obi-Wan stood, motioning to Ahsoka who caught Rey's arm as she stood and led her out, Maul protecting her back. Talzin had a dangerous fixation with Rey.

He knew that humans could be trained as Nightsisters as easily as Zabraks, their bloodlines were crossed.

Obi-Wan waited for Mor who was checking for Asajj, but she waved him on.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked.

Mor nodded, "She graduated, I don't know why I feel-"

Obi-Wan was looking at Ahsoka and Rey, two people who he had seen grow, who were still growing, and he knew exactly Mor was getting at.

"You taught her all you knew, now you have to trust her as she has come to trust you."

The Mor sighed, then smiled slowly, "When do you think we can convince Yoda to let us go to war with the Hutts?"

"We are not going to start a war," Obi-Wan said under his breath.

Mor laughed like the crazy person he undoubtedly was.

oOo

Obi-Wan was glad when they were finally leaving, and in time for Ahsoka's thirteenth birthday.

Maul was leaving his 'possessed' ship on Dathomir.

Obi-Wan didn't tell him that Mor and Sage would be scouring the ship to try and discover its history.

"Brother," Savage called as they were boarding the Jedi issued ship.

Maul turned, pausing, "Brothers."

Feral was standing hesitantly behind his larger brother, a small bag slung over his shoulder.

Savage pushed Feral in front of him by the shoulder, "Take him to the Jedi. He's going to die if he stays here."

Maul crossed his arms, seemingly cold toward his own twin, "And if the Jedi don't want him?"

"Then you take care of him," Savage growled.

Maul glared, "I have enemies, my brother."

Obi-Wan caught that there was more to this conversation, a suspicion planted by Talzin when she said that Maul _needed_ to go back to Coruscant.

An implication that Maul had been forcefully separated from his people.

Obi-Wan placed a hand on Maul's shoulder, "If the Council doesn't take him in, then he can still remain at the Temple until you return to Dathomir."

The engines started, Rey's none too subtle way to tell them to hurry up.

Maul uncrossed his arms and waved his twin forward. Feral's smile was bright and Obi-Wan had no doubts about why Savage wanted his little brother to leave.

After spending time with the Dathomirian Zabraks, Feral was a snowflake. Even Maul and Asajj who had not been raised among their people fit in better than he did. Likely it was Savage being overprotective that had kept him alive this long.

Maul grabbed Feral's bag, wordlessly taking on the small burden. It was the only sign he gave that he did want his twin with them, or at least wanted him safe.

"Feral!" Rey exclaimed, glancing over her shoulder before pulling them off the ground. "You're coming to Coruscant with us?"

"Savage thinks I should become a real Jedi, not a Gray Jedi."

"We are not Gray Jedi," Maul snapped.

Rey flashed them both smiles, "I agree with Savage, you don't shimmer of a connection to the Dark Side."

Obi-Wan took a seat, smiling at Maul who was growling so lowly it almost sounded like a purr. "Which is quite remarkable considering the energy on this planet."

Feral shrugged, giving his twin a nervous look before saying, "I can feel past this planet… the Force is bigger than Dathomir."

"This is true," Obi-Wan said, thinking that if the Council did make another exception that the Order might rise to something better than it ever had been.

* * *

Maul was caught between lying to Rey and helping his twin brother.

Caring about people was entirely too problematic.

As they stood before the High Jedi Council, he knew he should expose Sidious. Though he would never dare expose Darth Plagueis.

If there was even the remotest of chances that Rey or Kenobi might be sent after the Muun, they would die.

Kenobi's death would break Rey, and Rey's death would break Maul.

He could admit that to himself. Perhaps they weren't mates in truth. But she was only being in the galaxy he felt he owed.

Well, her and his brothers.

He sighed silently, when had his life become so complicated?

The Council was frowning at them. Master Dooku, who Maul knew from Sidious's obsessing over him more than from what Rey had mentioned of him, seemed to be laughing silently at them all.

Master Mace Windu put his head in his hands, "You cannot be serious."  
Master Sifo-Dyas rolled his eyes, "You know they are."

"Strange and wild the ways of the Force are," the green Master said.

Feral seemed to be caught between wonder and jumping out of his skin because of all the traffic.

He had never been to a city before, and Coruscant was _the_ city of the Republic.

"Speak, Feral Opress," Master Kit Fisto said, "The actions of Masters Mor and Fay are out of our hands, and it is not our job to police all Force users."

"Debatable," Ki-Adi Mundi said.

Fisto waved that remark away, "Obi-Wan and the Padawans have given their report, let the Dathomirians have their say."

Maul stayed silent, he would not be accused of lying out right to these people, to Rey's people, but nor was he ready to damn his twin's future.

Feral swallowed her, "My brother-"

"Can speak for himself," Galia interrupted.

"Not Maul, our older brother Savage, he wanted me to go to Coruscant."

"Why?" Mast Shaak Ti asked.

"To be trained as a Jedi," he said.

"I thought that was what is being discussed, that a new Order of Jedi will be trained on Dathomir?" Mace remarked.

Maul spoke for the first time then, "My people will be trained in the shadows, we are practitioners of the Darkness as much as the Light, the Force is one to us, but my brother is like your Kenobi and Rey, he is of the Light, and I cannot train him."

Feral spoke softly, "My brother also fears that I would not survive on Dathomir."

"Are you so weak?" Master Yarael Poof asked, his long neck waving like an eel in the depths.

Feral straightened, "I am one of the finest warriors among the Nightbrothers," he deflated a bit, "but I don't enjoy killing."

There was more to his words, and Maul felt his own shoulders tighten as the Masters in the room lowered their shields to measure Feral.

The long silence was broken by the Kel Dor, Master Plo Koon.

"I will take him on as my Padawan."

Feral looked startled while Rey and Ahsoka grinned. Maul felt relieved, and was amused with himself, when had he begun to believe that anyone was safe with the Jedi?

He supposed about the same time that he acknowledged that Rey meant more to him than a target.

Windu actually sighed, "Very well, Padawan Feral Opress, welcome to the Jedi Order."

"Much to learn will you," Yoda said, "But welcome you will be, friends already do you have."

Feral smiled shyly at them all before bowing to the room, then bowed again to Koon, "Thank you, Master Plo Koon."

The Kel Dor rose to his impressive height, "Come Padawan, let us get to know one another and get you settled in."

Maul would have watched his brother walk out, but he felt the small Master's attention on him.

Yet Yoda said nothing as Maul met his gaze directly.

Windu spoke, "Your mission, Master Kenobi, was a success and you were wise to call for help rather than allow a war to take place."

Maul flicked his gaze to the Vaapad Master, the implicit meaning was that they blamed him for almost starting the war.

It almost made Maul smile, but his gaze returned to Yoda.

The Grandmaster said nothing, yet Maul knew that he suspected him of withholding information.

He doubted, however, that the little green Master suspected him of being a Sith.

Rey touched Maul's shoulder, silently asking if he was alright.

He nodded, but realized he was going to have to tell her about Sidious sooner rather than later.

* * *

Darth Sidious was not pleased, mostly, because there was nothing he could do about his current predicament. He felt like the Apprentice again, submitting to torture to achieve his wants.

Like be nearly frozen to death while the Muun laughed at him.

The same Muun who was laughing at him now.

His own Apprentice who had been spotted walking into the Jedi Temple of his own volition.

"I took steps to ensure he never betrayed me, did you?" Plagueis asked, speaking of Maul.

Sidious said nothing, he had lost control of Maul, he knew that now. Which meant he would have to kill him, kill him hopefully before he revealed all of their secrets.

Plagueis seemed amused by his silence, "Remember, Sidious, the Sith destroyed themselves, not the Jedi."

"What do you believe the Jedi can do? If they attack me, they might play into our hands but the wider galaxy could perceive it badly."

"Being a Sith isn't illegal," Plagueis remarked.

Sidious narrowed his gaze, "You can't mean for me to reveal myself publicly? I would have to submit to an arrest or run."

Plagueis sighed, the sound falling from his lips uninhibited by a breathing mask. He looked younger now then he had when Sidious had first met him. "No, I do not mean for you to run away. Refuse to bow down. As I said, being a Sith is not illegal. The galaxy doesn't remember who the Sith were, only that the Jedi hate us."

"The Jedi are always the heroes."

Darth Plagueis smiled, "No, not always."

* * *

Obi-Wan was glad that they had made it home today. Maul had retired with his brother, leaving Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Rey, Qui-Gon, and Dooku time for tea in Qui-Gon's suite.

Ahsoka looked somewhat glum.

_Did she really believe I had forgotten?_

As she put down her tea, he reached into his pocket and placed a stone on the table before her.

She stared at it, "What's this?"

"A rock," he said with a smile.

She picked it up hesitated, "Thank you?"

He grinned, "Happy thirteenth Life Day, Padawan mine."

Ahsoka blinked at him, and said again, "Thank you, Master."

Rey put her chin in her hands, "What does the rock do?"

"Nothing," he said cheerily, "It's a rock."

Ahsoka frowned at him, "I'm missing the riddle, aren't I?"

"Nope," he said, looking at Qui-Gon, "It's just a 'pretty riverstone.'"

Qui-Gon who had been frowning at the gift, eyes widened with resignation.

"What kind of bantha-crap gift is that?" Rey asked.

"It is an unassuming joke," Dooku said, "Insulting, in fact. Obi-Wan, I am disappointed in you, one's gift to a Padawan is the marker of their childhood and you are meant to honour them as your learner."

Obi-Wan shrugged, and had to fight not to smile at the outraged look on Rey's face and Ahsoka's lost look, as if she was still waiting for the punchline.

"Don't you shrug your shoulders at me, young man," Dooku said, putting down his teacup with a clink on the wooden table.

Qui-Gon flinched.

Rey shook her head, "Obi-Wan, I didn't think you would ever be that mean, least of all to Ahsoka."

"Didn't your Master teach you better?" Dooku asked.

Obi-Wan smiled brightly at Qui-Gon who sighed, "I now see how that gift could be taken as an ill-gesture."

Rey turned on him, "What do you mean, 'now you see?'"

"It was the gift I gave Obi-Wan," he said with false dignity.

Rey gaped at him.

Dooku swatted him over the head, "_I_ taught you better."

Qui-Gon rubbed his head, "I was trying to teach him that material things only have as much value as we place on it."

Dooku sighed, "It isn't supposed to be a lesson, it is meant to be a _gift_."

"Says the man who gave me a hair grooming kit," Qui-Gon muttered.

Obi-Wan laughed.

Ahsoka rubbed her thumb over the smooth stone, "It's Force sensitive, isn't it?"

Qui-Gon heaved another sigh, "Yes, but I didn't know that when I gave it to him."

Rey shook her head, "You better have gotten her a real gift, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan nodded and held out his hand for his river stone. Ahsoka passed it back and he placed in her hand another stone sawn into a hyde cuff bracelet.

She blinked at the petite cuff, the leather was dyed darkest red, almost moron, and the stone at its centre was matte black and so smooth it was soft to the touch. "This is beautiful, Master."

He smiled, it wasn't ornate by any stretch, but it was her style and modest enough that it wasn't likely to be stolen while she was on missions.

"And useful, hold your palm over the stone for ten seconds."

She did and when she removed her palm, a glimmer showed in the heart of the black stone before a projection, smoother than any hologram, shown of the galaxy.

"Sarka," he said, "is known for their riches and gems, but their artisans are quite remarkable."

The hologram, that was more light projection created by the manufactured stones translating body heat to light, shining through the painstakingly designed map of the galaxy.

"Obi-Wan, I love it," Ahsoka said as she held her hand over it again to get the tiny map to reappear.

"Pick somewhere," he said.

"What?" she asked.

"That's the rest of your present, pick anywhere in the galaxy that isn't inhabitable or in active warfare and we will go explore."

Ahsoka visibly grew more excited, "Really!?"

He nodded, then found himself crushed in a hug.

"You're the best Master ever!"

Qui-Gon folded his arms, "I get it, no need to show me up so spectacularly, Obi-Wan."

Rey snorted, "Show you up? He could just take her out to eat on Coruscant and still would have been better than a rock."

Dooku shook his head mournfully.

* * *

Maul was pleased to discover that his rooms were undiscovered by Sidious or Plagueis.

And he knew they hadn't found it because nothing was damaged.

"Have enough explosives?" Rey asked, sounding greatly amused by his traps.

He, on the other hand, was a bit disappointed that Sidious hadn't bothered to track him.

"Maul, are you sure you're alright? You've been quieter than normal."

He finally was sure he could get over the door and walked in, leaving the door open for her to follow him.

He stopped in front of the windows, deactivating the explosives there as well.

"Honestly, what is wrong?" she asked.

_Your father is a Sith Lord and the person who kidnapped and trained me,_ he thought but did not say aloud.

"You've been different since we shared a room at your mother's place. Did you even sleep that night? You were cranky in the morning."

He glanced over his shoulder at her, "We shared a bed, Rey."

She crossed her arms, looking far too appealing in her white desert clothes, she had tossed her outer robe and staff on the sofa pushed back against the wall in the main room.

For her to disarm meant that she trusted him.

She shouldn't have trusted him.

Or, yes, she should.

He looked away from her, even he didn't know anymore. He had so much to explain to her, but he could hardly think of what those things were with the scent of her filling the air between them.

"Maul, talk to me, please."

He stood, and turned to face her, maybe if she just rejected him out right, he could move past these 'feelings'. "You claimed me as your mate," he stated.

"You asked me to," she exclaimed, "so you could travel freely among the Nightsisters."

He took in a bracing breath, "And if I asked you to be my mate in truth?"

She frowned at him, they were the same height and the eye contact could sometimes be unnerving between them. "What does that mean?"

"Sex," he said bluntly.

She blinked, "What?"

"I want to have sex with you."

She stared at him a long moment before saying, "Okay."

He stared at her, "What?"

She grinned, "You asked if I wanted to have sex with you, and my answer is yes. I'll try it with you."

Her answer confused him, but when he stepped toward her, she didn't move back. His hearts were pumping too fast for him to reprocess her word choice. But when he put a claiming hand on her neck and she melted into his touch, he let go.

And the Force, just as it had done when they first met, sang between them.

* * *

Maul put a large hand on the back of her neck, and she gazed into his amber eyes. A thrill of danger curled in her gut.

But far from a warning, the Force seemed to be encouraging her.

"You're afraid," Maul growled at her.

She leaned toward him, she could almost feel his pulse jump, "So are you."

And she kissed him.

They parted, and Maul searched her face, looking stunned, and then a look of renewed hunger overtook his features.

He pulled her to him, his hand tightening on the nape of her neck, directing her, his other arm coming around her waist.

He was far from gentle, but she gave as good as she got.

She wasn't sure how they made it back to his bed, honestly, she was too lost in him to keep track of where he was taking her.

Another thrill of terror ignited in her veins, but she neither suppressed nor acted on it.

Maul threw her back on the bed, and she knew she could have fought him, could have ran. She was stronger than Maul, but when he took off his shirt and she saw the graceful black lines of his tattoos over crimson skin, she accepted that this was what she wanted. She didn't fight the cacophony of emotions that overwhelmed her.

Maul straddled her, and she ran her hands over his muscles, delighting in the feel of another person's flesh.

He caught her hands in his, pinning her, his lips claiming hers.

Yes, she was afraid, and she reached to the Force to guide her.

Maul pulled back with a snarl, but the Force embraced them both, bringing them closer together than she could have possibly imagined.

She let go of the fear, and in the dimly lit room, relaxed into his touch completely. Beneath Maul's golden amber gaze she felt for the first time in her life truly feminine, truly beautiful.

* * *

The next morning, Maul got out of bed, pulling on his crumpled dark robes.

Without looking at her, he said, "This changes nothing between us." That was a lie. "We are mates, however, that is not the same as-"

She huffed a laugh.

He turned on her, "Rey, I am not… I will not offer you more."

Which too was a lie of sorts. He wanted this. He wanted this arrangement to be this, wanted them to be mated like this which was more than he had ever dreamed of having with anyone. Friendship and sex, commitment, yet he didn't want to change his life any more than she had already done.

She grinned at him as she sat up and said, "Relax, I'm fine with that. I'm not giving up my life to be with anyone either. But no matter what, you will always be my friend."

He was silent, looking at her tousled hair falling past her shoulders, the flesh he had drunk deeply of, the flesh that was now his in part.

His, because she was truly _his_ mate. Finally, he said, "You are the strangest female I have ever met."

She flung herself back on the black pillows, smiling up at him, her face streaked by sunlight, "I get that a lot, actually."

He scowled at her, "Get back to your Temple, little Jedi."

She threw off the covers and stalked away from the bed, looking more sure of herself, more processed of her own skin than he had ever seen her before. She sashayed to his refresher. She smirked at him, "You're such a sweet talker."

He growled at her.

She laughed, and stepped into his shower, leaving the door open for him.

* * *

AN: Still reading? Thoughts, ideas, neon tetras, or reactions?


	33. The Queen and the High Ground

AN: Thank you to everyone still reviewing!

Chapter 33 - The Queen and the High Ground

It wasn't as if this was the first time that Obi-Wan had thought of his life opening up now that the Order's rule of attachment had lifted.

Siri and he had been discussing it for months as they rekindled their teenage romance, months before her death. Before Bant had been made into a weapon and wielded against them.

Geran still hadn't recovered fully. Adjusting to blindness was difficult enough as it was, losing almost all of his friends and his first Padawan in less than a day of being together was… unspeakably worse.

Obi-Wan had tried to do his best for Garen, but Garen seemed to blame Obi-Wan for saving his own Padawan and for killing Bant.

Hard to argue with him when Obi-Wan felt the same way even if he knew logically that it wasn't his fault.

Standing in the founten square of Naboo surrounded by happy wedding goers, he was finding it hard to chase away the could and would have beens.

Could he and Siri have made it work?

Rey elbowed him, and whispered, "We are at a wedding, not a funeral."

He sighed, and gave her as best a smile as he could muster.

She scowled at him.

His smile must have failed.

Ahsoka grinned up at them both, "He's just jealous it's Palo and not him standing at the altar."

Despite himself, Obi-Wan felt his ears heat and Rey grinned at him wickedly.

Ahsoka spoke with a bit too much insight, "You've missed her since returning to regular assignments."

Rey's laugh was musical, mingling with the happy crowd as they waited for the bride beautifully, waking Obi-Wan up to the sunshine and blue skies about him.

"That is not what I was thinking," he protested.

Rey lowered her voice so only he and Ahsoka could hear, "You realize all you have to do to end this wedding is run to Padme and confess your feelings for her?"

He shook his head, "I do not have feelings for Padme." Though even as he said it, he knew that wasn't the full truth. He didn't feel the same thing for Padme as he did Siri, but he did admire the bright politician that had taken the galaxy by storm.

Yet he had been very careful not to let his feelings go beyond that as he had been acting as her bodyguard for years.

Years in which he began to date Siri.

Rey touched his arm, "Obi-Wan?"

He shook his head, diverting the conversation, he shot back, "You're one to talk about feelings, Rey. Do you think I've not noticed, that Qui-Gon hasn't noticed, that you have not been returning to the Temple most nights?"

Qui-Gon wasn't here today because he was caught up with the Council, acting as Dooku's representative in the Senate as Dooku himself travelled back to Serreno to finalize plans for the construction of a new temple.

The good thing about Serreno was that Dooku was much beloved by his people, and his people had shown every welcome of the promise of a new influx of population. Although it was still being debated how much of the Jedi population was willing to move.

The Jedi Order was not confined to the Knights, though it was the public face of them, the branches of the Jedi Corps were scattered throughout the galaxy.

How deep the break between the Republic and the Jedi would likely be the deciding factor.

Rey raised her chin, "I have nothing to hide."

Ahsoka giggled.

Rey smiled at his Padawan, giving her a wink, "Unlike Padme, I'm already happily mated."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, "Maul suits you, I don't think you could be in a normal relationship."

"I am in a normal relationship," she countered, completely unaware that he was teasing her. "I respect him, he respects me."

Ahsoka was grinning, "Is _all_ of him tattooed?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, "Rey, please don't answer that, I don't want to know."

Rey opened her mouth, her hazel eyes sparkling with mischief but he was spared her answer as the music started up and the crowd was hushed into awed silence as Padme walked down a path in an ornate dress of fluttering white.

She was beautiful, the dress was beautiful, and she was almost lost to the scenery, as if she were the walking, breathing heart of Naboo rather than a mortal woman.

She was in that breath a captured star brought down to sparkle on the surface.

As she walked down the path strewn with flowers, Obi-Wan lost focus of everyone and everything around him.

And for a brief moment, her honeyed eyes caught his blue ones, and in that moment, the Force showed him what might have been, what could have been between them.

What made Padme Amidala beautiful was not her personage, but who she was, the ruthless compassion that drove her.

She was the type of person to sacrifice every personal happiness to serve her people.

They were kindred spirits, and finally seeing that, seeing what Rey, Qui-Gon, Ahsoka, and even Dooku had been pushing him to see for years, that he and Padme were good for each other.

That the type of life and love that could have existed between them was rare and remarkable.

Or it could have been.

Obi-Wan smiled at Padme, his heart aching even as he bowed his head to her and silently wished her every happiness in the galaxy.

The moment between them passed, and Padme's gaze focused on her groom, the excitement of any new bride lighting her face.

Everyone stood for a Nubian wedding, once the vows were exchanged and the new couple formally united, the crowd would break into dancing. The groom and bride would be spun away into the chaos of loved ones until they found each other again in the music.

Obi-Wan couldn't stop smiling as Padme went first.

All Nubians were trained in some form of art, Padme had been a poet before becoming Queen.

Poetry was not as cherished on Naboo as painting was, but as Padme spoke words of love and elegance, she held the entire party riveted.

She was a wordsmith of the highest order.

Palo wasn't as elegant, but perhaps his fumbling words were more sincere, his adoration of Padme was painfully clear on his fair face.

But Palo never got to finish his stumbling ballade, because a lightsaber wielding cyborg popped out of a giant flower pot with a coughing cackle.

Along with another few hundred droids that had been hidden in tables and fountains.

Pandemonium broke out through the crowd as the finely dressed party goers were shot down, people tripping over long hems as they attempted to scatter.

An ambush.

Obi-Wan, Rey, and Ahsoka ran toward the danger.

Palo had thrown himself on Padme.

Padme herself had somehow managed to wrestle one of the blasters from the nearest droids and was shooting prone on the ground even as Palo covered her vitals.

Obi-Wan caught the self proclaimed General Grievous's sabers with his own before he could kill the bride who had yet to finish her vows.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan greeted with a smile despite his inner fury.

Grievous snarled at him, "Jedi scum."

Ahsoka got Padme and Palo to their feet and Rey told Ahsoka to get them to safety.

Grievous tried to pursue them, but Obi-Wan got in the way.

This foul thing that had killed not one but three Council members.

Rey began running around the park, cutting through droids as if they were grass. She was moving at top speeds, but even she had to work around and over the crowds. The droids were shooting people down like fish in a bucket and the ceremonial guard were doing their best to get people up and away.

But the droids were sorely outmatched.

Just because Padme's bodyguards had been disbanded since she had stepped down as Queen, did not mean they had let their training go.

Between Rey and Padme's handmaidens, the droid attack was half destroyed as Obi-Wan engaged Grievous in a duel.

"What do you want with Senator Padme Amidala?" Obi-Wan asked.

Four sabers pressed down on him, and he recognized three as the ones that hadn't been recovered from the fallen Council members.

Obi-Wan had to work to channel his emotions into the Force.

"Her death," the cyborg growled.

"Why?" he asked, realizing how the cyborg had managed to kill three Council members.

Obi-Wan would have sworn this thing wasn't a Force sensitive, and yet he seemed to have mastered almost all the forms of lightsaber duelling.

Well, all the forms except Form VIII and Vapaad.

And even as they clashed blades, this thing was trying to mimic Obi-Wan's Form, unfortunately for the Separatist General, Shono-Mii wasn't a Form one could master without being able to access the Force.

It was Grievous's trying that lost him two limbs trying to follow Obi-Wan's style.

"Who are you?" the thing growled, its yellow slitted eyes narrowing.

"Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," Rey called from a few yards away as she sliced through more droids.

Obi-Wan caught another one of the cyborg's limbs and he screamed, "Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan had to flit backwards as Grievous attacked him full tilt with Form VII.

Aside from the dead, the plaza was empty, Rey and the handmaidens having won against the droids in record time.

Obi-Wan wasn't losing but even with one limb, this creature fought differently than anything else he had ever faced before. He was almost spider like, yet he switched between being bipedal and crawling. It made it hard to anticipate what he would do even if he was missing three hand appendages now.

"Rey, a little help?" he called.

He caught a glimpse of her settling on the rim of a fountain, "I think you got it."

"Brat!" he called back to her as he danced out of the way of Grievous's strikes.

Obi-Wan probably did have this but the problem with both Shono-Mii and Soresu was them being primarily defensive forms which meant it could take a while to wait your opponent out, and this hacking creature showed no signs of slowing.

Obi-Wan managed to catch one of his back plates, revealing the thing's fleshy insides.

Grievous snarled, before his eyes went wide as blaster fire caught him. He looked down at his middle that was glowing and expanding. His organic innards were turning orange with redistributed energy under the metal casing seconds before-

Rey was at Obi-Wan's side, pulling him with her as they threw themselves on the ground and the cyborg exploded.

Looking over their shoulders, they saw the carnage that Grievous had become a part of. Obi-Wan's gaze went further up to where the shot had come from.

Even from a distance, he could perceive Padme's face hard with anger, her blaster still pointed.

Obi-Wan almost smiled, Padme Amidala was like that, always saving her bodyguards where the opportunity presented itself.

And where the opportunity didn't present itself, she still found a way.

Like being rescued from her own wedding only to find a balcony to snipe her enemies from at a nice defendable position.

She was always taking the high ground.

* * *

Rey and Ahsoka were with Padme in her dressing room, along with her handmaidens, as they all helped her out of the monstrosity that was her gown.

"This is what you were wearing for your wedding night?" Rey grossed, thinking that Maul would have shredded it with his lightsaber.

Sache sniggered, "No, we were going to help her change into something meant only for a private audience before going to their villa. This was just for the party."

Ahsoka shook her head, her Padawan beads swishing with the movement, "I don't know how you move in this thing."

Padme was silent as she stared blankly into the mirror.

Ahsoka laid a hand on her shoulder, "Padme?"

Padme blinked fast, looking up at Ahsoka in the mirror, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Are you okay?" Sabe asked.

Padme shook her head, "Palo's mother is dead and my sister is being seen in medical."

"It was just a graze on Sola's arm," Dorme consoled, "She will be right as rain in no time at all."

"But my mother-in-law is dead, this was supposed to be a joyous day."

All the handmaidens exchanged looks.

Sabe began unbraiding Padme's hair in the silence.

Padme glared at them all, "This is a tragedy."

"What happened to Palo's mother, of course," Sache agreed. "But you didn't give us the opportunity to speak to you about this wedding before you rushed into it. What happened today is a tragedy, but it also gives you the opportunity to reconsider this union before you tie your life to his forever."

A few others had passed, but luckily no one else close to Padme.

Padme turned to glare at Sache, "And these people's deaths and injuries happened because of me. General Grievous wanted me dead and it's my fault the wedding was destroyed."

"Why didn't they try sniping you like you killed Grievous?" Ahsoka asked.

"Padme is a political figure," Rey explained, "There was enough security at this wedding that they would have been cut down long before they got to the plaza. Attacking in the middle of the crowd like that prevented the guard from acting swiftly without firing on the party goers as well. Essentially, they used the crowd as cover."

Sabe nodded, "They must have been hiding for a day or two for no one to have noticed them in the decorations."

Rey agreed, "And their make was different from the standard droids, or at least the ones I fought when I first came here with Obi-Wan and Master Jinn. These were smaller and they were jointed differently."

Sache sighed, "If it had been a smaller wedding like you had wanted, Padme, then it wouldn't have been possible. Honestly, that flower pot was as large as a pool."

Sabe almost growled, "But no, you let Palo have his public spectacle, like marrying the finest Queen and Senator of Naboo wouldn't have been enough public attention, he had to invite it into the ceremony."

Padme was still glaring at her handmaidens, "Why are you lot happy my wedding turned into a battle ground? People died today."

"We are not happy you were attacked or that people died today," Dorme said gently.

"But we are glad you aren't marrying Palo," Sabe said without remorse.

Padme looked taken aback, "Why? What's wrong with him?"

"He isn't Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," Sache said kindly.

Rey had to bite back a laugh, so it wasn't just Obi-Wan's nearest and dearest that had noticed.

Padme looked enraged, but Dorme said softly, "When you walked into the plaza today, your eyes searched and found Obi-Wan's before Palo."

"You speak of Palo like he's a trophy husband only if people ask you about him, but you speak about Obi-Wan all the time," Sache said.

"And Obi-Wan can actually keep up with you," Sabe said.

Padme shook her head and she turned to Rey, "Do you hate Palo too?"

Rey shook her head, "I don't hate Palo, I don't know him."

Padme scowled at her, "But what do you think of all this?"

Ahsoka crossed her arms, "Obi-Wan is the better man and person."

Sabe grinned, "See?"

Padme was unmoved, "Rey, what do you think?"

Rey sighed, and sat down across from the woman who had yet to complete her vows, and took her hand. "I've known you for a long time, and I know you're ready to be married, Padme. I know that you envy your sister, Sola for being able to start a family while you've set aside your life to help your people. But do you love Palo?"

"I can see building a life with him," Padme said firmly.

Sabe sat down beside Rey, taking Padme's other hand, "But do you love him?"

"I'm going to marry him," Padme snapped, "Isn't the answer obvious?"

Sabe tightened her grip, "The only thing obvious is that you are ready for a life change. Palo is the easy choice, he loves you."

Padme smiled, "Then why are you telling me not to marry him?"

"Because," Sabe said, "Just because he loves you doesn't mean he understands you. And maybe you do need a life change, but are you really ready to settle down to a mundane life?"

"Of course I am."

"Then why did you double back in a heavy wedding dress to snipe a terrorist from the balcony when we had it covered?" Ahsoka asked.

"Was it because you couldn't not fight, or because Obi-Wan was in danger?" Rey asked.

Padme looked down at their hands, "Both."

With her free hand, Sabe gently lifted Padme's face with touch beneath her chin, "You want a family of your own, but are you really ready to retire as Senator, from all the boards?"

"I want to return to Naboo," she said firmly.

Sabe smiled, "And leave the political arena behind you?"

Padme nodded.

"Liar," Sabe said with a smile, "It isn't even fully your choice to retire. Naboo voted to leave the Republic, our planet will be completely independent and with it our entire government structure is changing."

"I will not go through the queen elections again. Popular rule is not democracy, it gives people what they want not what they need."

"But we are starting over and we will no longer have a Senator position, which isn't exactly an elected position either. We will be more like Mandalore with the royal family, or at least a strongly liked nobility that will have laws in place to remove them if necessary while having an elected Prime Minister. You could run for either position."

"Oh, please run for queen again, though," Sache said, "I thought I would enjoy a life not being your bodyguard but I've been… incomplete."

"You didn't want to leave Naboo," Padme said.

"I will not have to if you run for Queen again."

"And give up my freedom again?" she countered.

Sabe shook her head, "You will be older, we all will be, and the office is changing, the rules will have to be different and you can set your own boundaries this time. You never stopped working with Panaka."

Padme bit her lip, "Palo wouldn't be comfortable being Prince Consort and he isn't politically minded enough to run for Prime Minister like the situation Senator Bail and Queen Breha Organa have."

"Obi-Wan wouldn't mind being Prince Consort to your Queen," Ahsoka said in a sing-song voice.

Padme gave her a half smile, "But I've already made my choices. I'm stepping down as Senator. I'm going to start a family."

"With the wrong man," Sabe stated.

"Palo-"

"Palo will make you choose between family and your life."

"Obi-Wan is a Jedi, even if we did get together, he wouldn't be around most of the time."

They all looked at her.

"What?" she asked, affronted.

Dorme spoke, "Padme, you don't want a man around all the time."

"You kind of hate people sometimes," Ahsoka noted.

"No, I don't," Padme snapped.

"It's alright to want your personal space sometimes," Rey said, "I know I do."

Padme shook her head pulling her hands free, "Palo was my choice."

Sabe looked at her, "But is he who you really want, who you burn for? Is he the man you love?"

To this, Padme would not answer them.

* * *

AN: Please, reactions, ideas, or thoughts?


	34. Death Watch

AN: I have impulse control issues when posting chapters, if you wish me to continue, please feed my addiction to writing with reviews, pretty please?

Chapter 34 - Death Watch

As Dooku walked through his palace, he breathed the mountainous air deep into his lungs.

Coruscant was the wrong place for the Jedi.

Serreno had mountains, oceans, forests, everything that the Jedi needed to flourish on their own. Serreno's cities were small, and the greatest problems they faced were their small populations.

Young Padawans would no longer be confined to the stone walls of a palace, there was no underworld for them to fall into, no political traps sitting in the buildings next store to tempt and threaten them.

A part of him thought of tearing down the palace to rebuild the Temple, the final act against his father's legacy.

"Brother!"

"Jenza," he greeted warmly, opening his arm to his little sister who ran into his arms.

She was of course a woman now, but her zest for life had never faded. She was always a rebellious soul. She had gone behind their father's back to keep in contact with him over the years, even when he had still been Yoda's Padawan.

She squeezed him tight before releasing him.

He touched her fair check, and reading the worry in her dark eyes, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"We have company."

He went very still, "Where?"

She stepped back, pulling on a dark curl she said, "The dining hall."

Dooku stepped around her, the sound of his heels, clicking on the marble floors, Jenza's shorter stride and quicker steps echoing after his.

At the head of the table sat a Mandalorian, helmet covering his face and his blaster resting boldly on the table.

Dooku didn't ask how he had gotten in.

He assumed the palace guards were dead.

A Jedi Temple Guard could have handled him, but not the mundanes that Dooku paid.

Pity, they had been decent enough men.

"Jango Fett," he drawled. "What do we owe this honour?"

Jango gave a low chuckle, "Count, let's not pretend it is anything but business between us. Or rather, blood."

It was then that Dooku noted the symbol painted jaggedly on his chest plate. "I never thought to see you join the terrorists."

Jango hadn't just joined Death Watch, Dooku suspected he was its new leader.

"Funny, that's what I would have said about the Jedi decades ago. We were both wrong, now Pre Vizsla is dead and so is your apprentice."

Dooku stiffened, tugging on his bound with Qui-Gon, his one with Rael was far dimmer but still there. "I'm sure I don't know who you mean."

Jango tossed two lightsabers clattering on the table.

The hilts were curved as his own.

Dooku felt the blood drain from his face, "Komari, you killed Komari Vosa?" She had never been Knighted on his advisement and the Council's agreement. Last he heard of her, she had fallen in with a Dark Sider cult.

Jango stood, his gloved hand trailing the table close to the blaster he left there. "Interesting discoveries I've made with lightsabers, I always thought them such inferior weapons. You would have to be mad to wield them." His other hand went to his hip, "But I've come around."

"You are no Jedi," Dooku said, though his voice was uncertain because something rippled around the Mandalorian.

Jango Fett was not Force sensitive, yet the Force seemed to tremble around him like a shadow cast in water.

"A Jedi? No, not that, never that," Jango said, a smile in his voice, "But the Force is wide and accommodating."

Dooku reached for his own blade, but Jango was impossibly faster.

The blaster on the table came to Jango's hand as if pulled on an invisible string.

Dooku's blade came humming to life a millisecond too late.

But the gun wasn't a blaster, it wasn't a beam of energy, but a little ball that made an injecting sound as it plunged into his sister's shoulder.

"Jenza!" he bellowed, catching her one armed.

Her brown eyes looked up into his and her back arched backwards over his arm, her iris's spiralling, a sickly yellow blooming around her pupil, the veins in the white of her eyes bursting as she seized in his arms.

As Dooku laid her on the ground, Jango shot at him.

Dooku's emotions were too high, his concentration not what it should have been. The balls were some form of droid, moving erratically so that even as he sliced through two another three and then a fourth struck him in the arm and chest.

At first, he felt only a liquid being pumped into him, finding his blood stream, and then…

And then the Force opened around him.

He had nearly tipped into the Darkness before, he had danced the edges between Light and Dark, beckoned the Darkness to him with sweet songs taught to him by ancient artefacts.

But nothing compared to this, this was drinking poison, this was _Power._

The Force undulated around him, and he forgot about Jango and Jenza, he forgot where he was, who he was, and he _Became_.

Closing his eyes, he felt the Force swirl not around him, but through him. He became the Dark, and the Dark became him. His feet rose off the ground the palace around broke apart at the seams.

The Darkness was pain and sorrow, and thus, Dooku became pain and sorrow.

His sister was dead or dying, and his foe remained breathing.

The Darkness laughed.

Dooku laughed, the sound ending in a cry as he tore the world asunder.

* * *

Rey felt the disturbance in the Force before Obi-Wan did, but she was sure that any Force sensitive in the galaxy could have felt the chasm of Darkness that opened in the universe.

She dropped their ship out of hyperspace, and almost immediately received a transmission from Master Jinn.

"It's Dooku," he said without preamble.

"We'll go," she said at once.

Master Jinn looked at her mournfully, "You may have to kill him, Padawan mine."

"No!" she almost exploded, "He needs our help, something has happened to him."

"He might be beyond help," he cautioned.

"We won't know until we see him, will we?" she challenged.

Master Jinn looked at Obi-Wan, "I leave it to your wisdom, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan looked between Rey and Ahsoka and sighed, "I think we can risk it. If he'll listen to anyone, it would be you or Rey."

Master Jinn bowed his head, "Be careful, and may the Force be with you."

"And with you," they echoed, even as Rey was plugging in the coordinates for Serreno.

They had only just left Naboo, Serreno was not far.

Yet hyperspace did not feel fast enough as Rey pushed their craft to an inch of its existence.

"What do you think happened?" Ahsoka asked, voice soft.

Obi-Wan's face was grim, "Dooku fell."

"He hasn't fallen," Rey snapped, unbelieving. Master Dooku had come so far from when she first met him, she refused to believe he had been broken now.

The rest of the trip was passed in silence. It wasn't until they dropped into view of Serreno that Obi-Wan spoke again.

"The palace, Rey."

She wordlessly directed their ship downward at inadvisable speeds, but despite the warning lights, the ship landed unharmed.

The Serennian palace had been obliterated.

She would have said a bomb had gone off, but there was nothing exploded, no damage other than every single thing being dismantled into some sort of morbid composition.

It was as if each stone and wire, every motor and object, from computer to furniture had been torn apart and blown by a wind that cared nothing for the density of mass; only the pattern of a thousand petaled flower spun around a single point.

Obi-Wan cautioned her and Ahsoka as they picked their way through the debris, but his exact words only Ahsoka was paying any mind to.

Rey was focused on getting to the figure on his knees in the centre of this disaster.

"Master Dooku?" she asked cautiously.

She felt nothing from him in the Force.

He didn't move.

Not daring to touch him, she walked around him, to see the woman he bowed over. Rey saw that this must have been Jenza, his sister.

Her dark brown hair spread around her, her arms folded lovingly over her chest, her eyes were completely black, as if her pupils had dilated completely.

That black gaze starred up into the starry sky, reflective yet unseeing.

The dead were blind within their corpses.

"Master Dooku?" Rey tried again.

His head moved up slowly, his eyes too, were completely black, the irises blown as if he had been sipping death sticks.

Dark circles and tear tracks traced his too pale cheeks.

He looked defeated, remorse and grief drawing out his age and stripping away his power. His voice came low and broken, "I killed her… Rey, I killed her."

Rey dropped to her own knees across from him, "What happened Master Dooku?"

His gaze fell to Jenza, and he laid a hand gently on one of his sister's motionless hands as if afraid to wake her, "I don't remember…"

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had reached them but Dooku didn't acknowledge them as he hunched in on himself. "I can't remember."

He closed his bloodshot eyes.

"I killed my own sister."

Obi-Wan laid a firm hand on his shoulder, and Dooku lost whatever strength was holding him together.

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around the older man. Dooku appeared to cry, but he didn't seem to have any tears left to shed as Rey came around to help comfort him.

Rey didn't think Master Dooku had killed his sister, especially not as the smell of something like a strong herb or foul tree wafted off of the Makashi Master. Pulling back from him, she found the wounds on his arm and upper chest, raised idents as if he had been hit with needles or stung by something.

It took them a long time to persuade Dooku they needed to go back to Coruscant and that Jenza's body could not be given her final rights in flames until after they had seen a medical team.

Dooku was listless as they got him onto the ship. He refused to leave his sister, refused to rest or drink so much as a cup of water.

It wasn't until they arrived back to the Temple and Master Yoda commanded him to listen to the healer, did Dooku finally respond to them coherently. Neither Yoda, Master Jinn, nor Rey left his bedside for the days of his recovery.

But Master Dooku never recovered his memories, and whatever drugs that had been pumped through his system that had caused him to go berserk within the Force, that had killed Jenza with a single dose, remained as of yet unidentified.

The Council was worried, Rey was worried, and Master Dooku remained convinced of his guilt until Obi-Wan showed him a picture of what was once his palace.

"You destroyed everything, stone by stone. You dismantled everything with a strength that was felt across the galaxy," Obi-Wan said holding Dooku's gaze, his eyes had gone back to their normal brown, "But Jenza was at the centre of it without a single scratch. You did not kill your sister, the drug did. Even as you lost yourself to a power beyond reckoning, you had the presence of self to protect her."

"I was too late to save her," Master Dooku had said hollowly.

"Perhaps you failed her," Obi-Wan said without wavering, "But you did not kill her."

Rey had touched his shoulder, "From everything you've told me of Jenza Dooku, she would have forgiven you, Master."

He bowed his head, his shoulders slumping.

That was the first night Master Dooku ate of his own volition.

Rey was determined to discover who had done this to her proud grand-Master, and she would see that justice was meted out.

* * *

AN: Small chapters, rapid updates. Please, please review, it's how I judge if people are still invested in my work.


	35. One Sith, Two Sith

KEYNOTE: I have read the EU book, _Darth Plagueis_ by James Luceno and what exists here is some of the things I imagine Plagueis would have tried to come up with if Sidious hadn't killed him.

Keynote II: Yes, the phrases are real and I got translations off the internet.

Chapter 35 - One Sith, Two Sith

Sidious was infuriated, as was typical of the last few years of his life and career.

Nothing had been going well for him since he tried claiming Rey as his daughter, only to discover that the girl who shared his genetics, had a father who apparently sold his kin into slavery, yet wasn't him.

He sighed as he placed down his datapad.

It was official, his homeworld of Naboo had finalized its leaving of the Republic, electing the young girl Apailana as the Prime Minister and re-electing Padme Amidala as the Queen of Naboo.

Which left Sidious with the awkward position of having to apply for citizenship on Coruscant to remain High Chancellor of the Republic.

This wouldn't have happened if Kenobi hadn't been at Amidala's damn wedding. Now he was down a pawn and his homeworld had been ripped from his reach.

"Things not going to plan, Sidious?" Plagueis mocked.

Sidious said nothing. Maul had gone completely rogue, word had finally come of the new Gray Order he instituted and the Jedi Order was supporting the branch group on Dathomir and had managed to ally itself with Mother Talzin.

The witch who hated Sidious, but as she had been contained to her small sphere of influence, hadn't previously been a problem.

"Admit defeat, my Apprentice."

Sidious looked up at the Muun, "You are doing no better, you have done nothing for this last decade aside from laughing to yourself as our plans fall to pieces, sometimes with your assistance."

_Like taking me out of the game to torture me for your amusement._

Plagueis smiled, "Is that what you think? Yet I stand before you healed of all old injury, my lungs and throat better than new, and there you sit, age eating away at you as you refuse to study my methods."

"By refusing to study under you, you mean that I refuse to let you experiment on me," Sidious snarled back.

He would never allow himself to be put under his Master's 'mercies' again, he would rather die in truth first.

The Muun's smile grew, his inhuman face making him look grotesque, unfinished, like a child's attempt at forming a person. "I have discovered immortality and I have broken Count Dooku, effectively stopping the Jedi from removing themselves from Coruscant."

Sidious narrowed his gaze, "You are the one who killed his sister?"

Plagueis waved to a shadow, and Sidious fought and succeeded in restraining his reaction to the Mandalorian who stepped from the shadows. Sidious hadn't been aware of the bounty hunter in his own office.

"Remove your helm, Jango," Plagueis commanded.

"But Master-"

"Now, Mando, I gave you power, do not delude yourself into thinking I cannot take it away. What I make, I can easily unmake."

Jango Fett sighed, lifting his helmet and revealing the face shared by two hundred thousand clones, and eyes that gleamed with the inner light of a Sith Lord.

"Impossible," Sidious said, rising to his feet, "You aren't a Force sensitive. Cloning wouldn't have worked on you otherwise."

"As I've told you in the past," Plagueis drawled, "the Force is not a religious entity, it is a thing that reacts with the physical world and thus must abide by physical restrictions. The Force can be manipulated at the cellular level." He gestured to his abomination, "As I have proven."

A worried thought came to Sidious then, had Plagueis found a way to make himself more powerful? Had he increased his own midichlorian count?

As if reading his thoughts, Plagueis smirked at him, "Are you ready to join me in my labs yet, Apprentice?"

"Is he sane?" Sidious countered, when what he was really asking was if Jango was Plagueis's new Apprentice.

Plagueis shook his head in answer but said out loud, "Sane enough to do what he's told."

Jango glared at Plagueis with yellow eyes rimmed in red.

"How powerful is he?" Sidious asked.

"Powerful enough to best the Count," Jango countered.

Sidious sneered, "You did not best Dooku. The rumour is that he doesn't even remember what happened to him."

"Had I been firing with a blaster, he would have been dead."

"Then why didn't you?" Sidious challenged.

"Because breaking him was to our purposes," Plagueis said. "And Jango is powerful enough that he could best your disappointment as an apprentice."

Sidious let himself smile, "Then let him prove it."

Jango raised a brow, "I will expect payment."

Sidious rolled his own eyes, "Name your price, but I want Maul dead in two nights."

Jango put his helm back on, "He will be dead in one."

* * *

Rey felt sweat drip down her back and Maul snarled at her, the humming of their saberstaffs filling the space between them.

Circling each other, the dance began again as their blades clashed, the Force flowing around them and through them. It felt as if they were riding a tide.

Obi-Wan's Form was such that their feet felt as if they hardly ever touched the ground.

They had been going like this for hours, something she was eternally grateful for because boredom had sunk its teeth into her life.

She had been so worried about Master Dooku, but he was recovering now. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were off on missions while Master Jinn became more involved with the Council and Senate.

Master Jinn had unofficially officially become a Council member, filling vacant spots Grievous had left them along with Fay and Shaak Ti.

She couldn't tell if Master Jinn was upset about his promotion or not. He would deny that he was a member even if he was 'consulted' for each meeting, but as the Council tried to prepare the Order to move, there was more for the Council to do than just debate.

The thing Rey hadn't foreseen was how busy he would be and how few missions they would be assigned.

Months on Coruscant, even with Maul being here, even with Master Yoda charging her with running more and more training sessions with the younglings, still felt like house arrest.

"You seem pissed," Maul noted as she ducked and spun away from his strikes.

"I'm sick of the Temple," she said, pressing forward, "I feel like the stones are crying out to me. I can't stand the Council room, it's so…" he flipped backwards, and she admired his shirtless chest. Since they had started to share a bed, he had begun to spar shirtless, having noticed that she had noticed.

She was pretty sure he had done it first as a way to distract her, but staring at his chest in a fight was actually a good way to help her predict his movements.

"Loud," she finished.

"Maybe the Force is trying to tell you something," he offered.

"The last time the Temple tried to tell me something, I had a vision of nearly being beaten to death."

"Which led the Jedi to discover that it is built on a Sith Shrine."

"What do you think about that, by the way? You study both the Darkness and the Light, do you think it is wrong of us, wrong of me to try to avoid the Dark?"

He was quiet for a long time, only the swishing of blades between them, and then he said, "I was born surrounded by a world and practitioners drenched in the Darkness. It is who our people are, there are exceptions, like my twin, Feral, who are still drawn to the Light, but most are like Asajj, even trained in the Light they are drawn to the Dark. I am training my brothers in both, to teach them to handle the complete aspects of the Force, to not divide it."

She flattened herself to the ground, before his foot could come up to snap in her face. Rolling to her feet, she turned off one end of her staff to stab at his thigh.

He bared his teeth as he just barely managed to avoid the blow. Their blades clashing in his living room, the furniture safely pressed against the wall.

Maul went on, "But my people are Dathomirians. I have watched your Jedi, humans in particular, seem easily swayed by the misdirections of the Dark. The Jedi are one people of many, and perhaps many individuals could handle walking the line between the aspects of the Force with proper guidance. Like your Windu and Mor, or like your Grandmaster, Yoda, but of your Order it is only Asajj I could name who is not a Master and has dabbled in both and come out reasonably whole."

"And she is a Dathomirian."

He nodded, "Yes. So I agree with you, that for your people, who are many species, many backgrounds, that raising them in the Light is perhaps for the best, at least in their formative years."

Something she hadn't even known was bothering her eased in her chest.

"Where were you raised?" she asked.

"I was kidnapped when I was young and raised on the volcanic planet of Mustafar, primarily by droids."

She stopped.

Expecting it, he reversed his attack and turned off his dual bladed saber.

"What?" she asked, horrified for him.

He stared at her with wary eyes and said, "I was kidnapped from my mother before the age where she would have given me to the Nightbrothers."

"By who?" she asked.

"Sheev Palpatine."

She stared at him, "My father? But why? What possible reason could he have-"

"He needed an apprentice. He raised me in the ways of the Sith."

She shook her head, "The Sith? You're a Sith?"

"I could have been. But it's why he sent me after you. I was meant to woe you to the Darkness and you would have replaced me as his apprentice."

Rey shook her head, "I would never-"

"I know."

"So Sheev really is a Sith Lord then? And that's how he became Emperor in the future I'm from."

"He was going to start a war between the clones and the droids, the Jedi was meant to be caught in the middle, picked off slowly before being exterminated completely."

"The Clone Wars. Did you want that?"

"When I first met you, Rey, I wanted nothing more than to rip your throat out."

"What changed?"

"The Force began to speak to me, and I began to listen. Your father, Darth Sidious taught me that the Jedi killed Force sensitives that did not join them. He raised me to believe that if ever they travelled to Dathomir that they would slaughter my people on principle."

"They would never-"

"I know that now. But Sidious convinced me by forcing visions on me. He made me breathe in the ashes of Sith warriors of ancient days when the Sith and Jedi had the numbers to truly wage war against each other. I experienced every saber strike, every death and wound and loss of the Sith as if it was my own. I died a thousand deaths and I learned to hate the Jedi."

She frowned, "But if they were at war then…"

"Wasn't the same being done to the ancient Jedi? Of course, but I was young and Sidious was the only person I had to believe in. The Sith lost that fight, and I was raised to believe that I would be a part of the grand revenge of the Sith. That I would play a hand in bringing the Sith back and the galaxy into order."

"At the cost of the destruction of the Jedi."

"That was my goal, yes."

"And what is your goal now?" she asked, thinking over what a bastard her father was. She had thought that selling his own daughter into slavery had been the worst of his crimes, or perhaps being the brutal dictator of a galaxy.

But no, this was far worse than anything she could have imagined.

"My goal is to lead my people to their potential," he raised a hand to her cheek and when she did not flinch away from him, he stroked her skin, "my goal is to keep you safe from the monster who sired you and raised me. I will cut his head off and scatter his ashes on the trash in the streets."

"We could arrest him," she offered, "reveal his crimes to the galaxy."

He pressed his forehead to hers, "There is blood on my hands too, little Jedi. But even if you could prove anything, being a Sith isn't illegal. If we want him gone, we must end him."

"Obi-Wan won't approve," she said, "But Master Jinn might."

"We could take him together, you and I."

"What was it like to be raised by him?"

"Rathtars," he said in a rumbling voice, as he put a hand to her hip.

"Rathtars?" she asked, pushing him back a bit.

"He had me hunting rathtars to prove myself to him," Maul said, as he pulled her flush against him.

"You're a dangerous male," she said against his lips a moment before he caught hers with a purr.

That sound hummed down her spine in delicious tingles as she splayed her hands on his bare neck, her extinguished staff a cold line between as her hands explored his back, as he kissed her.

Maul tensed, and she let herself relax as he brought them to the ground.

They rolled apart from each other, reigniting their sabers as they spotted a Mandalorian soldier standing on Maul's window sill, some sort of large barreled blaster in his hand.

But Rey hadn't heard or seen a shot fired. She scanned the floor looking for what they had so barely managed to avoid.

"I hate to interrupt, but I'll let you get back to it, little Jedi, once he's dead."

Maul snarled at him, and Rey let the Force rise inside of her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Death Watch, and he is a mistake."

"He's my mate," she snapped.

The Mandalorian sighed, "I suppose that means you aren't leaving?"

"Not hardly," she said. "Tell us your name?" Something was wrong with his aura. He was a Dark Sider, but there was something not right about it. As if he had dipped himself in metaphysical black paint rather than fallen to the Dark.

"Jango Fett, your deaths," he said reaching for a saber at his side. The kyber came to life, a black blade laced with white light.

"Maul?" she asked, unsure of what this was.

"The Mandalorians had a Jedi in the Order once, he made that, the Dark Saber, and it was passed down within a fringe group of radicals."

"There is nothing fringe about us, Zabrak. We are the rightful rulers of Mandalore. I am _the_ Mandalorian."

"And yet here you are," Maul said, "Doing Sidious's dirty work."

Jango flourished his saber, "And yet here you are, Darth Si-"

Rey launched herself at the intruder. It caught him so off guard he slipped off the rim of the sill.

She hesitated, leaning over the edge only to be pulled back by Maul as Jango rocketed upward.

Jet pack.

Great.

Rey called energy to herself, and fired a blast of electricity one handed at the flying banthabutt.

He held the saber like a competent warrior, he didn't hold it like he was prepared to use a sword while flying.

But he was truly Force sensitive, and even by her standards, he had remarkable reflexes as he dropped in time to avoid the lightning.

Maul was leaping in the air to meet him and Jango Jetpack soared off toward the Dark District that Maul's apartment was on the edges of.

It was called the Dark Distract now because so many of the Republic systems had pulled out of the Senate that entire buildings which had been owned by government officials had been sold and bought up that they stood unlit and unused as plans for reconstruction were being dealt with.

Rey wasn't sure if Jango was leading them into a trap or if the hunter had just become the hunted.

Soon enough, her feet were landing on steel beams as they raced over buildings stuck in static disrepair as they waited to be torn down and remade.

The traffic had been diverted away from this area so that the light of the Coruscanti moons was the light they saw by in the chill night.

She and Maul stopped, going back to back as they lost visual on Jango. She could still feel the darkling Mando near them but he had enough training in the Force to muddle his exact signature.

That was worrisome.

How much training did this guy have? Had her father trained him like he had trained Maul?

Was he a rathtar hunter too?

Jango landed in front of her from a higher beam, his Dark Saber meeting hers with a spark of light.

"Interesting weapon you have there," he said, voice malicious and not short of breath as he pressed forward.

Maul backed up behind her. They didn't have a taste for how skilled or powerful Jango was yet and Maul didn't risk flipping over them both to get behind Jango.

"If I didn't know better," Jango continued, "I would say it was of Mandalorian make."

"Where have you been living over the last decade?" she asked mockingly, "On Dagobah? I am Padawan Rey Palpatine, and my weapon was forged by Master Maas in Beskar."

She felt the ripple of his surprise in the Force, and he stuck out a hand to catch the middle of her staff, "A weapon you are undeserving of, _Jedi._"

She smiled, "Ori'buyce, kih'kovid."

Again, she felt his shock as the Mandalorian words spilled easily over her tongue.

Tolkien had really stressed the importance of their language to her, and the others had really impressed upon her the importance of delivering a good insult.

_Ori'buyce, kih'kovid_, translated to, '_all helmet, no head_.'

Whatever he thought of her calling him an idiot in his own tongue was lost as she sent a pulse of electricity through her grip.

The fun thing about electrocution was that while the electricity ran through you, you couldn't move.

She had the skill to absorb the excess energy into the Force, Jango wasn't so lucky.

Maul flipped over them then, but as he brought one end of his saber blade down, Jango threw himself forward, breaking Rey's concentration and sending them both tumbling off the beam.

She caught herself, sitting hard on another beam and wrapping her legs around it before letting herself slip so she could land on both feet on the beam below. She crouched before Jango, ready for anything.

"Shabuir," he said casually, as if testing what she knew.

_Bitch._

Smiling, she said lightly back, "Sheb'urcyin."

_Butt-kisser._

He raised his arm at her, firing Whistling Birds at her.

This dude had to be loaded if he could afford to make those.

But she talked enough with Maas to recognize them the moment they whistled out from his gauntlet.

It was nothing for her to catch them in the Force and send them exploding back in Jango's face.

But when the little explosions cleared, he was gone and Maul dropped back behind her to cover her blind spot.

They looked down into the chasm of the gutted building gaping below them. She could see nothing but dark shadows and Maul made no motion that he spotted their aggressor either.

She sighed loudly, calling out, "Kaysh mirsh'kyramud."

Loosely translated to, _he is boring me senseless_, literally translating to, _he is a brain assassin._

Another whistling came up from beneath them, and they jumped, going higher, to try and draw Jango out as the whistling birds collapsed a few of the supporting walls.

The sound of falling debris echoed as they leapt to a more stable building.

Sure enough, Jango followed them on his jetpack.

"Mir'sheb," he greeted her.

_Smart ass._

And shot a flamethrower in her face.

Rey had started her career a mechanic and wasn't as caught off guard by backfiring exhaust as many might have been.

In a single movement, she extinguished her saber as she dropped it while stepping backwards off the beam. Catching the rim with her hands she swung herself into the air, catching hold of Jango's booted feet.

He directed the flames toward her, but Maul had grabbed her fallen staff and used it like a pike, so he held one end and thus was able to extend the reach of the saber to catch the nozzle of the flamethrower as Jango tilted it down.

An explosion burst above her and she let go, Maul leapt down to catch her, and they landed lightly as Jango went careening down in a ball of fire.

Too bad she knew his armour was likely enough to save him from the flames as he clumsily tried to hold on the beams he was pinging off of as he fell.

He finally managed as Rey and Maul were hopping down to finish him off.

Jango rose, to his feet, his limbs trembling as he held out the Dark Saber.

Maul and Rey ignited their own, the blue and red casting strange shadows in the empty skeleton of a building.

"You've never fought another Force Sensitive, have you?" she asked as they stalked forward.

Flinging off his helmet as he tried to catch his breath past his smoldering armour, he gritted out, "Only the best in the galaxy."

She was struck by his Sith eyes, a mirror of how Maul's had been when she first met him, but she simperred at the deranged fool nonetheless, "Kaysh mirsh solus." Jango wouldn't know that Maul couldn't understand her.

_His brain cell is lonely._

Jango roared as he charged them with Form VII.

And he was…

Masterful.

Rey and Maul had been practising for hours before this so they were both warmed up and a bit wore down.

But that shouldn't have been a problem. Only a Master Jedi of exceptional note should have been able to stand up against them working together.

Yet Jango held his own.

Which was fine. Even if they had been practising for hours, she and Maul were both trained for endurance, and Shono-Mii was a waiting game.

As Jango pressed his attack more and more violently, he was slowly losing.

And he realized it.

He pressed a call button, before using a smoke bomb.

She and Maul jumped down a level, away from the toxic smoke.

Rey went to the edge of the platform and shouted at the speeder bike zipping away, "_Hut'uun!"_

Maul crossed his arms, still delightfully shirtless, and gave her a look as she pulled the sweat damp strands of her hair back from her face.

She flushed, "It translates to coward."

He rolled his amber eyes at her.

Rey glanced back at the city lights, the wind blowing at their backs, and she couldn't help but think that a Mandalorian warrior made into a Sith assassin was a worrisome combination.

* * *

AN: What has Plagueis been doing over the years? Science experiments and villainy. Thoughts, reactions, or feedback, pretty, pretty please?


	36. The Questions We Failed to Ask

WARNING: Emotionally graphic.

Chapter 36 - The Questions We Failed to Ask

Master Plo Koon was more than pleased with his latest Padawan. Actually, he was just happy to have a Padawan again. Being a Council member made taking on a new learner difficult as much of his time was tied up. Raising a teenager was never an easy task, and being on the Council deprived them of missions they could be on. The Temple was a fine enough place to be natured in, and a well enough place to work in one's adulthood, but it wasn't where one should spend their youth if they hoped to serve the larger galaxy.

But his new Padawan wasn't a teenager who needed keeping.

And for Padawan Feral Oppress, both the Jedi Temple and Coruscant was an exotic adventure.

Plo glanced at the young Zabrak, his tattoos were intricate over his ochre skin, darker outlines of the birthmarks beneath. Somehow Feral managed to look completely unthreatening which Plo attributed to his relaxed gate and bright golden eyes that stared around him in wonder.

Neither of his names seemed to fit him. The only way one might confuse the young Zabrak with being 'feral' was that he was incredibly shy around strangers. As for 'oppressing', Koon had never met a Force user with so much potential whose aura was so incredibly light.

Feral reminded Koon of a warm spring breeze, new hope awakening after a long winter.

As Padawan and Master, they were well suited, Plo had never felt the Force so assertive in the rightness of a choice before.

Following the intention of the Force was on the best of days a murky business, yet here and now, he felt as if he was exactly where he needed to be.

They were currently walking the long halls of the Temple, and unlike Qui-Gon's Padawan, Feral seemed most interested in everything, from the Temple's foundation to the wider city.

Plo had learned that Feral, while skittish in civil circumstances was nonetheless a fearsome warrior. What Feral needed to learn as a Jedi was not how to fight, but how to be a voice for peace and life in the galaxy.

He needed to learn who he was and then learn who he could be outside of his brothers and people.

"Come, Padawan, tell me more of yourself, of your family. You have told me a great deal about your older brother Savage, but little of Maul. Surely, as he is your twin you must have been close?"

Or possibly rivals, but Plo doubted that. Maul had been too protective of Feral for them to have been warring with each other in the past. Maul acted as the older, leading Plo to suspect that Maul had protected Feral as Savage had from great personal harm.

"His birth name was Wrath Oppress," Feral said easily, his voice pleasant.

He had an ingrained quietness to him, but Plo believed he would make a fine story teller one day. "Why did he change his name?"

Feral shrugged, "I don't think it was his choice. We were separated when we were young. We were still with our mother even."

"That must have been traumatic. Why did your mother part the two of you?" Plo asked, knowing that their mother was the leader of their clans.

"It wasn't Mother Talzin, she was furious, but there wasn't anything she could have done."

"What do you mean, done? She was your mother, your guardian."

Feral's golden eyes turned sad, "Wrath was kidnapped by a Sith Lord by the title Darth Sidious. He was more powerful than our mother, and by the time anyone knew Wrath was gone they could have been anywhere in the galaxy."

Plo froze in his tracks, feeling his eyes go wide, he worried his protective lenses might fall out, "A Sith Lord?"

Feral nodded, not understanding at all the effect his words were having, "That's where Wrath's title comes from, he's Darth Maul."

Plo's mind spun.

_Did Qui-Gon know of this?_

"Maul is a Sith Lord?"

"Not technically," Feral said, "he would have to kill his Master to truly become one. But he was trained as a Sith. That's why he's the most powerful Dathomirian."

Plo was very glad for his mask, that Feral couldn't see the horror on his expression, "Is he still a practising Sith? Is that what he is training the Nightbrothers to be?"

Feral snorted, "No. Sith torture their apprentices, Maul hasn't tortured any of us. He's been showing us Form VIII and teaching us how to listen to the Force, both the Darkness and the Light. The Dark scares me though. Both my brothers have more control than I do."

Plo was fighting to keep his voice even, just like Rey Palpatine, Feral didn't understand the significance of the words he spoke.

_Rey._

Surely, the girl wasn't so blind to not have noticed that Maul was more than Dark Sider. Was she protecting him? Had he manipulated her against the Order?

Or was this another one of Jinn's unorthodox social experiments?

"Does your twin have a lightsaber?"

Feral grinned, a happy smile, and like a boy speaking of a new fighter ship, he said proudly, "A dual sided lightsaber. It's red which is really neat because it matches his skin. His skin tone is rare, you know? True scarlet is prized by the females."

Plo almost sighed, whatever trouble this new knowledge would lead to, Plo could at least be grateful Feral was already securely initiated into the Order as his Padawan.

Maul might be a Sith, but Plo would see Feral knighted as a Jedi.

* * *

Qui-Gon Jinn was at his near limit.

He knew joining the Council was a bad idea.

It's why he had turned down the position when Obi-Wan was still his Padawan when the boy was sixteen.

But no, Dooku had to go and make him his stand in representative, and as Dooku was recovering, the rest of the Council kept piling on the work.

He was certain Mace and Yoda were the ones taking full advantage.

And whether Qui-Gon liked it or not, which he didn't, he was a Council member.

_Sigh._

"Serreno is still safe," Dooku insisted, "Jango could not have overcome the Temple Guards."

"But our enemies know Serreno is vulnerable now," Ki-Adi Mundi said.

"So is this Temple," Qui-Gon said, so, so tired of talking in circles, "And our enemies know that too. Or have we forgotten what happened to Bant Eerin?"

Everyone fell silent, because of course, no one had forgotten the Master, Knights, and Padawan they had lost.

Kit looked away to the horizon, he had seen Bant knighted after Tahl had passed.

Depa spoke in a serene voice that did nothing to hide the steel behind her words, "Exactly why building a new Temple over tragedy is what we are trying to avoid."

"Not over," Dooku said, "In memory of. My sister died because of her relationship to me. It is the double edge sword of our existence, the price of service, why for thousands of years we tried to forsworn attachments. We should not forget _what_ we are trying to build. For thousands of years we have struggled to disentangle ourselves from attachments that web us to individuals and communities that web us to the rest of the galaxy while at the same time trying to provide the galaxy with the stability to thrive in peace."

Dooku rubbed a hand over his face, in an uncharacteristic glimpse of his inner exhaustion, "That there are reasons for why we had our traditions is as real as our reasons for moving on from them. We should not forget our history, and we should never forget what it means for us a people to be more than the Knights. Our people are scholars, leaders, farmers, pilots, healers, what defines the Jedi is more than those of born receptive to the Force. We are people of this galaxy.

"Jenza died because of me, but that does not make me regret loving her. I do not love her less because I mourn her, because I failed her. Let her life and her passing be the beginning of our new path. We who walk the path of Light must never forget that not everything we do will be successful or just. Not everything that is the Force's will is fair.

"Yet nothing will deter us from striving to walk that path."

A respectful silence followed.

Finally, Yoda spoke, "The Temple of Jenza, shall it be. Remembered always will Jenza Dooku be."

Qui-Gon let out a long breath, this didn't mean that Yoda was ready to depart from Coruscant, the Grandmaster thought they were all being too hasty.

But that they would be naming a Jedi Temple after a non-Force sensitive, someone whose memory would live on forever because of the familiar bond between a brother and sister, mattered.

Qui-Gon did not believe that every Knight would, should, or even want to start families of their own, but he knew many would.

He knew he would have with Tahl if he had been given the chance. And had warned the Council that the stigma against those who did not hold to the old ways would make some hesitant and fearful even to bring their relations to public view.

Those who had married by blessing of the Council went to great lengths to never flaunt their relationships.

It was humbling to realize that Yoda, at least, had heard him.

Maybe being on the High Council wasn't so bad.

Just then, Master Plo Koon strode into the room, the only Council member who hadn't been present, either in person or hologram.

"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked, spotting him behind the Kel Dor, "Why are you here?"

Obi-Wan shrugged, his hands folded in his sleeves, "Master Koon summoned my presence."

By the state of his hair, Qui-Gon suspected that he had been sparring with Ahsoka.

"He is here," Plo intoned, "for his hearing, as are you Qui-Gon Jinn."

Qui-Gon straightened in his seat, feeling suddenly like a youngling caught with a real lightsaber when Yoda wasn't present.

Dooku leaned back in his seat, amused, "What amusement have they found themselves in this time?"

Plo sat and gestured between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, "I wish to know how deep this conspiracy goes. Either you're all excellent liars or the issue is much more complex than it will sound."

Obi-Wan looked as confused as Qui-Gon felt, what was Plo talking about?

"All of them?" Shaak Ti asked.

"I have summoned Padawan Rey and _Master_ Maul here as well."

Maul had been deemed as a Master in the eyes of the Jedi Order as he was the head of what some had begun to call the Dathmiri Jedi, even if it was Masters Fay and Mor currently training them.

Both Fay and Mor had reported that whether Maul was on the planet or not, all of the Nightbrothers answered to him. His brother, Savage Oppress was Maul's second, and while the Nightbrothers seemed more than happy to learn from Fay and Mor, none save Feral Oppress seemed the slightest bit tempted to join the Jedi Order.

"What did they do this time?" Obi-Wan asked with a sigh.

"How much do either of you know of Maul's history?" Plo countered.

"His mother is Talzin, the absurdly powerful witch leader of the Nightsisters," Obi-Wan said a bit flippantly, he never was graceful if he thought he was being accused of something unjustly

For that matter neither was Qui-Gon.

"And he is an incredibly strong force sensitive who dabbles in the Dark. He is also an unparalleled bounty hunter," Obi-Wan finished.

Qui-Gon spoke next, "It was already acknowledged that he is my Padawan's mate. I know Rey cares and trusts him. Therefore so do I."

_And if he ever gives me a reason not to, I will gut him._

Plo nodded, "So tell us, was it the two of you who taught Rey how to use a saberstaff or was it Darth Maul?"

_Darth Maul,_ Qui-Gon repeated the title silently.

And suddenly the Dathomirian's strength in the Force was explained. His cunning.

And why he had been so attached to Rey from the beginning.

Qui-Gon met Obi-Wan's horrified gaze as he came to the same conclusions.

A Sith Lord had been trying to convert his Padawan right in front of them.

And they hadn't even tried to stop him.

No, they had let Council members begin to train an entire sect strong with the Dark Side of the Force.

They had declared Maul a Master.

_What had they done?_

Fay, present in hologram, burst out laughing. Mor beside her put his head in his hands, "How did I miss that? I knew his ship was of Sith legacy but Maul didn't feel…"

Mace shook his head, "Maul is more than a Dark Sider, or everything we know about the Sith is tainted by a stilted history. The Sith were completely immersed in the Dark. Yet Maul is a Gray Jedi even if he wasn't taught by a Jedi. He practices Form VIII, that is a form literally impossible to Master without the Light."

Obi-Wan nodded, "Unless Sith can bounce between using the Light and Dark in equal measure, I would have said the same. And Maul doesn't feel evil. He saved my life when he helped Rey and the Mandalorians get that bounty off my head."

"Who was Maul's Master?" Depa asked.

Plo shook his head, "Feral knew him only as Darth Sidious. Apparently, Darth Sidious was powerful enough to kidnap one of Mother Talzin's sons when he was still in her care."

Mor sucked in an audible breath, "He couldn't have been more than nine years old then."

"So even if he is a Sith," Fay said, "could we blame him? In his adulthood, he seems to have found a better way of life, and he is the same age as Obi-Wan."

Plo sighed, "Feral said that Maul taught his brothers in the Light and the Dark, but that he hadn't trained them to be Sith because he hadn't been torturing them."

"Wait, what?" Obi-Wan asked, "why is Maul not torturing his people something of note?"

"Way of the Sith it is," Yoda said.

Obi-Wan still looked confused, "Why would anyone willingly submit to torture?"

Dooku stroked his beard, "The Jedi and the Sith are not so opposite as you might think. In their doctrines, they may glorify emotions and freedoms, but the goals of the Sith ape ours in parallels. But the thing that truly defines the differences between our peoples was how we trained our apprentices.

"The Sith found power in pain, fear, and anger, so they routinely tortured their apprentices. Old texts speak of encouraging attachments between family and lovers only to kill the objects of their affections for the sole purpose of creating the greatest mental and spiritual harm on the apprentice, giving them the greatest access to power as possible."

"Is that what happened to Bant? Did someone torture her to make her-" Obi-Wan broke off.

They all knew Bant Eerie had been tortured into insanity.

But Qui-Gon wasn't thinking of Eerie, he was thinking of Sheev Palpatine possibly being Darth Sidious. Of the Chancellor who was desbrite to win over his 'daughter's' affections even when she so obviously hated him.

Was Sheev trying to make Rey his apprentice by having Maul win her over, or was Rey to be the sacrifice that pushed Maul fully over the edge?

Dooku spoke gently, "Knight Eerie was subjected to great torture, but she was not a Sith. Her mind was broken and she was plummeted into the Dark. To train a Sith would take a great deal more time and conditioning. It isn't simply torture for torture's sake, it's culitivating a lack of compassion, pain for a purpose, sacrifices for power. The Sith are not the Dark, and the Dark itself is not more powerful than the Light, but it makes for the better weapon to reap destruction."

Obi-Wan swallowed, "Maul isn't like that. He would sacrifice almost everything for Rey."

"That," Mace said, "is not a good thing, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "That's not what I meant, I mean that there is no power that he would sacrifice her for. He is not blind within his Darkness. The Force speaks to him."

"Speaks to him?" Yoda asked, "What mean you?"

Qui-Gon was watching his own apprentice very carefully, knowing that Obi-Wan understood Rey in ways he had failed to see many times over through the years.

"Being around Rey is like being around a convergence in the Force," Obi-Wan said, "Around her, things happen. She is a point of change, a challenge to doctrine and legend because she isn't doing anything on purpose, she just responds. She is an answer to many questions we have failed to ask. But Maul is… Maul isn't just reacting to circumstance. He pushes the limits, and when he is pushed back he listens." He met Qui-Gon's gaze then, "He's a mystic like my Master. He obeys the Force, not an Order, not a Master, but the Force itself."

Sifo-Dyas smiled, "Only your line, Dooku, only from your line could something like this have ever been an issue."

Dooku smiled at Qui-Gon, completely unrepentant.

Mace rested his hand on his knee, "But that still means he could be a Sith, or at least that he once was a Sith apprentice." He looked at Qui-Gon and Qui-Gon felt his own jaw tick as Mace smirked at him with a completely sober expression, his dark eyes gleaming with mirth, "And her Master never questioned her on it."

Qui-Gon was quite certain he was never living this down, both Mor and Dooku looked overly amused. Obi-Wan looked thoughtful, but then, while Rey had not been Obi-Wan's official Padawan, Rey had been entrusted to them both.

What if Maul really had been out to hurt her?

Kit seemed to be thinking along the same lines, "Didn't Rey go to the Underworld with Maul? On more than one occasion?"

That's when it really sunk in for Qui-Gon the problem Rey had making friends. In the Order, outside of himself and Obi-Wan, all of Rey's nearest and dearest friends were the younglings she trained and trained with as well as the Council members. She was well loved by the Council, and she spent enough time with at least half them. Which meant that Dooku, Sifo-Dyas, Mor, Plo, Kit, Mace, Yoda, and Fay, knew exactly how much time Rey had spent out of the Temple over the years.

Rey didn't speak of Maul often with anyone but perhaps Obi-Wan, yet thinking of how much danger she could have been in…

Mor voiced the nightmare, his hologram wavering a bit as he sat forward, "Rey taught Maul Form VIII, the Way of the Butterfly, but what did Maul teach her?"

Just then Rey and Maul entered the room. Both froze in a synchronized step as the full attention of the room fell on them.

Rey's brow was pinched and she looked distracted, as if something was poking at her and she was set to ignoring it.

Maul simply crossed his arms and glared at everyone in the room, waiting.

Dressed in black robes, he was Rey's opposite. She was a warm presence, dressed in white and palest grey, her staff still used more as a staff, a peacekeeping weapon, than as a deadly saber.

While Maul looked as if he needed no weapon to rip your heart out from your chest and eat it in front of you as you died.

Qui-Gon glared at the Zabrak who had perhaps been trying to steal his Padawan from and greeted coldly, "Darth Maul."

Maul bared his teeth, but it might have been a smile, "Nine years, Master Jinn, that took you nine years to deduce, or did my twin tell you?"

Sifo-Dyas put a hand to his lips to cover a laugh he turned into a cough.

Dooku sat forward, "If we discover that you have done her any harm then-"

"You do realize I could have killed her at almost any time?"

Qui-Gon's breath caught as he realized how true that was.

Rey didn't react, and Obi-Wan stared at her with concern even as he said nonchalantly, "Oh please, Rey could have killed you anytime she pleased."

Maul gave Obi-Wan an amused smirk, but he didn't refute the point.

"Are you admitting to being a Sith?" Qui-Gon asked.

Maul glared at him with amber eyes, "It isn't illegal to be a Sith. Perhaps unhealthy, but not illegal."

"Kidnapping is illegal," Plo said.

Maul rolled his eyes, "So it was Feral. But yes, kidnapping is illegal, even if Dathomir is not a part of the Republic, my mother was the law, and Darth Sidious took me without hers or the Nightsisters' consent."

"Without yours?" Mace asked.

Maul shrugged, "Until I returned to Dathomir, I didn't even remember my own name. But I remember the first time I met Darth Sidious. He told me that my mother ordered me to go with him. That she had given me to him."

"And believe him, you did?" Yoda asked.

Maul snarled soundlessly at the Grandmaster before he said, "She was going to send me away one way or another."

"Bring you where, did he, this Darth Sidious?" Yoda asked.

"Mustafar."

"Hmm…" Yoda said, "Difficult place to live, Mustafar is. Prosperous only in recent years has it been for the larger population."

"I was raised in isolation," Maul said.

"Loyal to your Master, you were," Yoda said.

"Yes, I was."

"Change, what did?"

"He ordered me to kill Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to break Rey's spirit."

Qui-Gon felt his heart wrench, and he was on his feet a moment later, reaching for his saber before he knew what he was doing.

But Obi-Wan stepped in front of Maul.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon almost growled.

"Listen to what he's saying, Master, he disobeyed the creature who was his Master, who kidnapped, tortured, and trained him, to save my life," Obi-Wan said, his blue eyes unflinching, "again."

Qui-Gon took a breath then glared over Obi-Wan at the Zabrak, "You will tell us who your Master is."

"Chancellor Sheev Palpatine," Maul answered without missing a beat.

The room dropped into perfect silence.

They had suspected for some time now, after all, there wasn't much eviler then selling one's child into slavery.

Even if that timeline didn't fit in with what Rey had told them. The current Chancellor becoming the future Emperor Palpatine had been a disturbing thought that had taken root.

In eras long since passed, there used to be Jedi Chancellors, in fact, only Jedi had been allowed to hold that seat in the Republic. What twisted rhyme was it now that a Sith was Chancellor, and would make of the Republic an Empire?

"Rey, did you know of this?" Plo asked.

Rey who hadn't spoken since entering the room looked up from the floor, "About Sheev or Maul?"

"About either being Sith," Sifo-Dyas asserted, his eyes bright.

Rey met Qui-Gon's gaze, "I told my Master of my suspicions about the Chancellor, and Maul told me of the nature of their relation last night."

"Last night? How did you not suspect what he was sooner than that?" Mor asked, "Plo said he has a double sided lightsaber."

Maul sighed, and Qui-Gon bet he was lamenting not clarifying with his brother what should and shouldn't be discussed with the Order, just as Qui-Gon was realizing what he might have told Rey about the Sith.

Really though, once she had exercised nearly every Sith shade unbound in the Force, a part of him had assumed, perhaps wrongly, that she knew more about the Sith than any Jedi living, including Yoda.

But Rey shrugged, "I knew he was a Dark Sider from the moment I met him."

"And you didn't think that was a problem?" Mace asked a bit coldly.

"The galaxy is huge, and I knew next to nothing about the Jedi. I didn't realize how rare it was for there to be such powerful and trained Force sensitives outside of the Order."

"It's been years, Padawan Palpatine," Ki-Adi Mundi said, "you might not have known better at first but you must have realized that he was-"

"Dangerous?" she asked, voice heated, "Of course I knew he was dangerous. The second night I met him we went down to the Underworld and killed a horde of Cthon and a group of bounty hunters after me because I was a Senator's daughter."

Looking back, Qui-Gon really wondered how he wasn't expelled from the Order.

Mace gave him a look like he was thinking the same.

Mor, however, started laughing.

Mace glared harder at Qui-Gon.

Mor was Qui-Gon's fault as much as Rey's partnership with a Sith was his fault.

Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan who was frowning at Rey, "Maul took out a horde of Cthon and a group of bounty hunters, on his own?"

She glared at him, "No, I was there."

"Rey, I remember you coming back that night, you hadn't had your lightsaber long, that was back before Maas made your staff. You weren't that proficient to take on a horde of zombie creatures."

"I gave Maul my lightsaber, and I used my original staff."

That was such a Rey answer.

Shaak Ti, one of the newest members of the Council, looked aghast, "You gave a stranger your lightsaber?"

Rey shrugged, "I could have gotten it back from him."

"He was a Sith, you were hardly even a Padawan," Gallia said.

Maul snorted.

Depa frowned at him, "You think you are so weak, Darth?"

Maul shook his head, "She is my Master's daughter, and her lightning is more powerful than his, it's real."

Qui-Gon relaxed a bit, as he remembered that as much as Rey had needed them, she hadn't actually needed them to keep her safe from physical harm. Not in the same way that Ahsoka or most Padawans did.

"She still put herself in untold amounts of danger," Ki-Adi Mundi insisted.

Rey crossed her arms, "I was a slave on Jakku for most of my life. I was a scavenger, I survived on Tatooine on my own without anyone's help. You think a Dark Sider is dangerous? Try being a child stuck out in the desert with no water and no one coming to save you."

"The Underworld is not-" Ki-Adi Mundi began.

"Mos Eisley is more dangerous than Coruscant's underbelly," Maul interrupted. "Tatooine is ruled by the Hutts and the desert is ruled by the suns."

Mor waved it away, "I concur, but Rey, how was his lightsaber not a warning to you?"

Rey looked at him, "Maul told me it was illegal for non-Jedi to have lightsabers."

Obi-Wan hid a smile by putting a 'thoughtful' hand to his lips.

"And that didn't strike you as a perhaps bad thing?" Gallia asked.

Rey shrugged, "Master Jinn didn't find me until I was nineteen, so no, it didn't strike me as odd that there might be others missed by the Order. And as far as owning illegal objects, I repeat, I was a scavenger. Illegal is a sliding scale."

Qui-Gon had to fight not to laugh at that.

"Why didn't you kill Obi-Wan, Master Maul? And do you prefer Master or Darth?" Fay asked.

Maul looked at her with interest, "Either is fine. And I didn't want to hurt Rey, much less break her. Besides killing Kenobi is suicide."

"Because you believe Master Kenobi is stronger than you?" Fay asked.

"No," Maul said, Qui-Gon frowned at him, believing that very few in the galaxy could beat his Obi-Wan in single combat, "Because even if I could kill him, Rey would end me."

Depa looked startled, "You think your own mate would kill you?"

Maul raised a tattooed brow at her, "You say that as if the notion is incomprehensible, when the practice is quite common for my people."

Depa blinked at him.

Mor, however, was more single focused, "But Rey, you said you gave him your lightsaber. Where was his?"

"Maul didn't have it on him."

"You want us to believe that a Sith left his lightsaber home?" Gallia asked.

Qui-Gon spoke, "You were hiding it from her, trying to blend in."

Maul sighed, "Yes, and she went shopping in one of the upper distracts, a scanner would have caught the metal."

"But you showed her eventually," Plo said, "you taught her how to truly adapt to a double sided lightsaber. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are wonderful teachers, and Rey is quite adept, however, many on the Council thought she would have needed to have learned from someone who specialized to adapt a new lightsaber Form to a dual blade when its creator only used a single beam."

Rey nodded, "He did teach me. Most nights we are together we train."

Qui-Gon exchanged a look with Obi-Wan.

Sure, Qui-Gon had spent a great deal of his time with Tahl sparring, but they had grown up together, once they… once they became more intimate, talking and other things took priority over sparring.

Yet he wasn't surprised that Rey had formed such a relationship. He had to remind himself that 'mated' was not a synonym for marriage.

That Rey and Maul's possible idea of a romantic night was picking fights with angry bounty hunters and stirring up trouble with high end shop keeps and monsters from lore, made a lot more sense to him than a traditional romance between the two.

"And the red beams weren't a clue that he was more than just a powerful Force user with acquired lightsabers?" Mor asked.

Rey blinked at his holoimage, "What does the colour have to do with anything?"

There was a long drawn out silence broken by Mace sighing deeply, "Another thing you neglected to tell her, Qui-Gon?"

Qui-Gon fought to keep his breathing even so his pulse wouldn't speed and cause him to flush.

"What's wrong with red?" Rey asked, "The colour looks cool."

Maul was smirking at them all, smug bastard.

Obi-Wan seemed equal parts exasperated and amused, "Rey, has it escaped your notice that not a single Jedi in the Order has red lightsaber?"

"So?" Rey asked, gesturing to Mace, "He's the only one with a purple lightsaber I know of. And yellow and orange are pretty rare to see around too."

"You do know, Padawan," Mace said, his tone reproachful of Qui-Gon more than her, "that the colours do have some meaning."

She nodded, "Maul told me red is the colour Force sensitives not associated with the Jedi Order tend to us."

Dooku laughed, "Well, that's not wrong."

Qui-Gon pinched the bridge of his nose, this was like the Mandalorians all over again.

Yoda chuckled too, "Much to learn, still do you, Padawan Palpatine. Problem laid before, you have. Declared him a Master, have we, accepted this male's brother as one of our own, have we, and training his people, are we. Yet declared themselves the enemy of the Jedi, the Sith have. Leave us where does this?"

Maul shook his head, "I will help you destroy Sidious. I am no more a Sith than I am a Jedi. I am an agent of the Force and Rey's ally."

"Why didn't you tell us about Sheev before?" Mace asked.

Maul looked at the speaker of the Council, "Would you have believed me?"

"Yes," came from almost every member of the Council, including Qui-Gon.

Maul stared at them before saying, "And I was afraid you would do something stupid."

"Like reveal that you are a traitor to him?" Mor asked, "He will try to kill you after this."

"My Master asked me to kill Kenobi nearly a year ago, instead, I started what is rumoured to be a branch of the Jedi Order on Dathomir. Sidious is assuredly settled on killing me."

"Theoretically," Dooku asked, "what would it take to get back in his good gracious?"

Maul shook his head, "Perhaps kill Kenobi and bring Rey back to him with her undying loyalty to him. But even still, my Master believes in the Rule of Two. Sidious would still kill me because he can only have one apprentice."

Kit asked, "Was he the one who tortured Knight Bant Eerie and General Grievous?"

"I never met Knight Eerie, and if it was Sidious who broke her, then I was unaware of it. But yes, General Grievous was his… pet."

"If you were already betraying your Master with his being aware of it, then what were you afraid of us doing with this information?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

"Try and arrest him," Maul said, "he's unpopular now, that doesn't make him powerless. He would get out of anything you could hope to charge him with, he will escape you if you try to arrest him physically."

"So what do you suggest?" Qui-Gon asked, even as his attention had fallen back to Rey who was hyper focused on the chair he had left.

Or was she staring at the floor?

Maul had noticed too, so his amber eyes tracked her as she swayed from foot to foot even as he spoke to the Council, "Kill him, Rey and I could manage it. But more help would be welcome to keep him from escaping."

"We can't just kill the sitting Chancellor," Gallia said, "No matter what he's done. We've been publicly saying that we plan to step back from the Republic, killing the High Chancellor would be akin to declaring war."

Which they couldn't afford.

The Jedi was the baseline defence of the Republic, but the Republic had many, many resources, they could scrape together a force to bomb Serreno to be near inhabitable without them having the proper scraping army together.

Qui-Gon wondered how hard it was really to assassinate a man anonymously...

"Rey?" Obi-Wan asked, "What are you looking at?"

She said nothing, her gaze unfocused, shoulders rounded in her dove-grey robe.

Obi-Wan touched her arm gently, and she flinched away from him so hard, she lost her balance and Maul steadied her, nearly catching her. He growled, "Rey, just let it happen and be done with it."

She shook her head violently, "No, whatever it is, I don't want to see it."

"The Force is trying to tell you something," Maul insisted.

She just kept shaking her head.

"There is a reason the Force is screaming out to you through the base to the centre of this Temple," Maul said.

She pushed back from him, backing up until she backed into Obi-Wan, she almost screamed at Maul, "Then you look!"

His expression was indecipherable, "That is not my gift."

"This isn't a gift, it's a curse," she said, she looked pale, and she was trembling even as Obi-Wan hugged her from behind.

"The more you fight a vision that is trying to be heard, the worse it will be," Sifo-Dyas said, "You know as much."

Qui-Gon touched her cheek, "Rey, see me."

She looked up at him, her hazel eyes brimming with tears, "Don't make me, please, Master Jinn. I don't want to live in the Temple anymore."

Qui-Gon's heart broke for her, "Then we will leave, now."

He could holomessage for the stupid Council meetings. He knew it had been bothering Rey that they hadn't been sent on a mission in months even as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka left on their own adventures. It was getting to the point where between his meetings, and her spending nearly every single night outside the Temple, the only times Qui-Gon got to see her was when he could escape with Yoda to watch her train with the younglings.

There were good reasons why new Council members were highly advised against taking Padawans and why the Council hadn't officialized his status yet.

Yoda might say that she had much to learn, but who didn't? No, Rey should already have been a knighted.

Yoda was just dragging his feet in approving her for the trials because he was trying to convince her to become a caretaker like Ali-Alann.

The trials were the same, the vows were different.

Qui-Gon disagreed with Yoda's pushing for it, Rey was a great teacher, but she had limits. In an emergency, he would absolutely trust her to take care of a hundred children if she needed to, but she wasn't suited to the day to day work of tending to children in a stable environment.

Rey nearly begging him to be allowed to leave the Temple without leaving the Order, without leaving him, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka behind, was evidence enough of that.

Maul stepped into her view, "You cannot run from this."

She bared her teeth at him and hissed, "I don't want to be here!"

He got in her face and Obi-Wan took a step back, with her still in his embrace, he brought Rey back with him. Maul snarled, "Will you act out of fear, mate of mine?"

Rey twisted free of Obi-Wan with anger on her face that disturbed Qui-Gon as she shoved at Maul's chest, "Fine! Fine, I know what the Force wants! It wants us to leave, but if you need more proof-"

She cut off abruptly, her steps fluid, a grace she had learned from endless practice with Obi-Wan, as she dropped to her knees in the place she had been staring at since entering the room.

"Rey," Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan warned her a breath too late as she laid a hand on the floor.

Her spine bow back a moment later as the seizure started.

Maul bellowed in rage, a loud barking sound as the three of them ran to her.

Maul seemed afraid to touch her as he dropped to her side.

Qui-Gon, however, sat behind her helping to hold her shoulders as Obi-Wan got her legs untangled from underneath her. Her eyes were rolling back.

It was painful to watch her like this. Painful to know there wasn't much they could do.

Qui-Gon began murmuring to her, even as he helped guard her limbs from flailing and hitting the ground.

He glanced up at Maul, and Qui-Gon thought he would have to relearn everything he knew about the Dathomirian.

The fearsome warrior and bounty hunter was replaced with an almost child like fear and helpless as he sat by his mate's side, unable to reach or help her.

Qui-Gon put a hand on the younger male's shoulder, "She will survive this."

Maul's amber eyes were too wide as he looked up at him, and Qui-Gon saw Feral in him, so the person he might have been had a Sith Lord not stripped him of everything.

Yet Rey has seen him, or perhaps Rey had fallen for who he had become. Rey was the child Palpatine had abandoned, like some breeder throwing an animal into the wild to grow up strong or be killed, only to come back and try to reclaim it. While Maul had been the child Palpatine beaten strength into.

Perhaps they weren't so opposite after all.

Qui-Gon squeezed his shoulder, "You were right, and we must trust that the Force has its reasons for reaching out to her."

Maul looked down at Rey, and still afraid to touch her, he said, "Or maybe I was wrong."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "She is strong enough for this."

"But she said she didn't want to-"

"It was her choice to touch the floor," Obi-Wan said firmly.

Qui-Gon let out a breath and settled into waiting for Rey's vision to pass, the rest of the Council hovered around them.

Qui-Gon was pretty sure it wouldn't take much to convince the Council to execute Darth Sidious, after all, he had done worse to Rey than this.

* * *

The images came in and out, the sound too warped around her as she fought not to be here.

As she fought not to be the being filled with rage, sorrow, and resigned determination.

She had never felt such power before, but whoever she was, he was incomplete, his mind a fractured mess of reasoning and darkness.

She was still in the Council room, but it was dark, so dark. And a group of younglings were hiding behind the Council chairs.

As she and her vision buddy approached them, a young boy walked forward.

Even knowing it was a vision, Rey tried screaming out to him to run, tried reaching him through the Force.

And her vision that was more real than a should have been, like a memory or a scar on the Force, allowed her to sense the boy.

Sors Bandeam, the baby boy Master Ali-Alann had handed her only this morning when his father gave the boy to the Temple.

Sors mother had died in childbirth and father had been struggling for a year to try to care and provide for his son. But Sors had grown malnourished and when his father discovered he was Force sensitive, he had sold everything he owned to buy a one way trip to Coruscant to bring his son to the Temple.

Sors had been so quiet in Rey's arms, but his blue eyes had stared up at her with trust and demand that only babe could assume.

_You will take care of me because I trust you with all that I am or might ever be._

A pact that was as old as life and thought.

Now Sors Bandeam stared up at her, his cheeks round with health, he had grown up well. His father would be so relieved.

"Master-" Even as fear trembled his voice, he spoke with such bravery as he said, "...there are too many of them! What are we going to do?"

Rey's heart broke for him, and she would defend them until her breath.

But her shadow had other ideas.

_The Jedi are evil, the Jedi do not know love. I will free these children from their bondage, free them from a life of service cursed without love._

_They don't even know that they are slaves._

Rey screamed, as a blue saber ignited in her hand and she felt Sors die beneath her strike.

And she continued to cry soundlessly as her sanity was shattered.

At least it was quick.

At least the betrayal of the children's trust was brought to a swift end as she finally was able to identify the shadow forms she had glimpsed on the floor.

Rey had held Sors this morning in her arms and thought of all the potential, of the man he might grow to become, of the adventures and trouble he would find, of all the hope and love he could share with the galaxy.

Yet all of that life and opportunity had been rendered to this, small bodies lifeless in the heart of the Jedi sacred centre.

She wanted to destroy the mind she was in, even if it killed her, there was no price she would not pay to keep this from happening, to keep this monster from murdering their younglings.

He thought they weren't loved? He thought that the Jedi's reserved ways meant that they did not love?

He didn't understand that what the Jedi were a family, a single community of all variety of life throughout the galaxy. He didn't understand how miraculous it was for all these different beings to share a commonality strong enough to hold them together.

Even people aloof, such as herself or Asajj or Quin, were still a part of the whole in ways that were hard to describe.

_The Jedi did not love._

But what greater love was there in the entire universe more wondrous than a selfless love? To follow a hard path so others might live better? Why was it wrong to teach their children to listen before acting out, to love each other without possession, to be more than friends but to be brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, fathers and mothers, grandparents and mentors to many, to all who would let them.

What connected them together was the Force, and what connected them to the galaxy was also the Force. In learning to be a part of the Force, in pursuing a selfless life, in pursuing a life of compassion, there was no one who ought to love more than a Jedi.

Because the Jedi were taught to love all life, no matter how complex, no matter how simple.

The Jedi weren't perfect, the Jedi failed and made mistakes, but Rey had been born in a world of love, beneath the rich jungle trees of Naboo, and she had been sold into actaul slavery, betrayed by her own blood.

She had been utterly and completely alone but for a master who had granted her freedom only so he could feed her less, only so he could profit more by keeping a worker alive to draw in an income.

The man whose body she walked in now, his boots clinking on the floors as they passed body after body of her people, didn't understand.

He thought that family was blood, he thought that love was marked by grand gestures and declarations.

He didn't understand that love was in the little things. Love was in the person facing the unknown and horrid by your side. Love was in the people who chastised you because they didn't want to see you hurt. Love was in the eyes of the people who trusted you to keep them safe, love was in the hearts of the people who believed that you could make the galaxy a better place.

Rey tore herself from this broken man's mind, from the delusions he had been warped into believing, from the Darkness that had offered him power to 'right the wrongs of the galaxy' and in turn had made him a slave.

She came to, still on the Council's floor screaming in both despair and rage, the memory of the younglings…

She screamed, and kept screaming as if by that act alone she could drive away the sensations, the vision, expel it with sound and the feel of her throat and lungs tearing.

But she hardly noticed the physical pain.

"Rey!" Master Jinn yelled over her, his big hands holding her head stable as he looked down.

Maul was clutching her hand, "It's over, it's over. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Rey sucked in breath, had Maul just apologized to her. That was enough to get her to try a centre herself, even if the Force was trying to torture her.

Obi-Wan touched her cheek, "Rey, breathe."

Exhaling, she sucked in another breath, but her reprieve was short lived as the memories came back again.

Sors staggering back a step as her blade ignited.

She would never forget that moment.

Master Jinn tried to wipe away her tears, but the tears just came faster.

"What did you see?" Sifo-Dyas asked, standing over Master Jinn's shoulder.

She didn't know how to say it, she didn't want to bring life to this memory even as the Force seemed to urge her forward.

Maul squeezed her hand.

But it was Yoda who came up to her between Obi-Wan and Master Jinn, who laid a clawed hand on her shoulder. Master Yoda asked, "Tell us, you must, Padawan. Reason we are all here, there is."

Rey met those green eyes and knew she was about to break his heart, "Sors Bandeam."

Yoda's eyes widened, "A babe, he is. Brought to the Temple only this morning he was."

Maul's hand tightened on hers. Maul had been with her this morning and he had been less than impressed with the babes, but even he had been surprisingly polite to Master Ali-Alann.

Rey started with the mundane, "He was older, maybe six or seven years of age. He was healthy and he was brave."

Yoda nodded, "Doing what, was he?"

"He and a group of younglings were hiding in the Council room, the Temple was being attacked," she said, pain lancing through her heart at what had been done to her people.

Master Jinn smoothed a hand over her forehead, "It's okay Padawan, if it is a vision of the future it can be averted. The future is never certain."

Her tears spilled faster as she remembered the future she was from, "But it did happen, all the Jedi died. The younglings…" she looked at Yoda, "were not spared. Sors addressed his killer as Master, he asked him for help and he killed them, he killed them all."

Everyone fell quiet, Obi-Wan was too pale as he asked weakly, "But why?"

"Because he thought the Jedi did not love."

"She needs a medic," Maul said.

Sifo-Dyas, however, asked, "I'm sorry, what do you mean 'it did happen'?"

Master Jinn shared a look with Obi-Wan.

Master Yoda seemed to have other concerns, however, because he had reached a decision. "Unsafe the Temple is. Shown us the Force has. Treat this as an attack we must."

Mace said, "But if the child is years older then-"

"No," Master Yoda said with finality, "agreed to move the Order we have. Wait years for our enemies to destroy us we will not. Act now we must. Hasty, I thought this was, but to the Force, not fast enough, is hasty."

"Master Maul," Mace said, "and Kit, take Rey to the healers."

Master Jinn began to move as Maul carefully lifted her into his arms. She curled into his chest, baring her face in his robes, breathing in the smell of him.

She both wanted to see Sors and never let herself near the younglings again.

She was glad that she was truly too weak to make a choice one way or the other.

"Qui-Gon, wait, you and Obi-Wan know more than you're saying," Mace called them back.

Maul didn't slow his stride, and Master Fisto kept pace with him, her saber staff in his hand.

She closed her eyes against the moving archways above them and asked, "Did he mean it, Kit, will the Jedi leave Coruscant?"

Kit's deep voice was a comfort as he said, "The Council was already in agreement, and I have never heard Master Yoda call an attack an emergency before, not like that. I think we will be moving sooner than any of us could think."

"Sidious will be pissed," Maul said, "Serreno is easy enough to hit with a small raiding party but if the entire Jedi Order was recentred there and properly defended it, then it would be nearly impossible to hit. Unlike Coruscant, the Jedi Order would have complete control over the system, and Serreno has no underworld or great gatherings of politicians. It is a system with more trees than criminals. Additionally, the Jedi have more allies in the Outer Rims if only they made the effort to reach them."

Rey sighed, letting Maul's voice take her mind off the nightmares threatening to drown her. She knew that Maul knew she was listening as he spoke more openly with Kit than she had ever heard speak to anyone but her before.

But then he was doing it for her.

And she loved him for it.

* * *

Mace was more agitated than he could remember being in years. Watching Rey have vision threw him back to the moment he had first tried to impress her by letting her use his lightsaber.

Only for her to have a seizure brought on by psychometry.

But this was worse. She had woken from that vision with a smile, telling him how interesting Shatterpoint was.

And today, he had seen the everything shatter as Rey woke screaming, her voice cutting through what Mace had always considered one of the safest places in the galaxy. He felt cold.

A Master had killed their younglings?

Mace knew why Yoda had sent Kit away. Kit hadn't fully recovered from what had been done to his old Padawan nor what she had been driven to do.

But killing younglings?

He knew, he had _seen_, terrible things done throughout the galaxy, yet thinking that someone would target their young in mass?

_All the Jedi died._

Rey had said it as fact and Qui-Gon, Maul, and Obi-Wan were the only ones not startled by the statement.

Mace looked at his old Master. Yoda stood hunched, gripping his gimmer stick, his eyes squeezed shut, and Mace saw the galaxy shattering around the small being.

The Jedi would leave Coruscant, and the galaxy would never be the same, the Republic itself would crumble in their wake.

The question was, what would come of the power vacuum they left? And how would they be received in the Outer Rim? Would they become a mere religious group that could help only a small sphere?

Was that such a bad thing?

He butted heads with Qui-Gon more often than not, but Qui-Gon was perhaps one of the only Masters who truly abided by the Living Force rather than the Unifying Force.

How Yoda had taught him, how most Jedi were taught, was that the Force bound everything together, that the Force was both the material and the immaterial, the past and the future, that as free as they were, they were meant to surrender their individual desires to better serve a galaxy always on the cusp of finding balance and descending into chaos.

Yet the teachings of the Living Force were different, what was taught by the monks on Jedha were different, and giving Qui-Gon a larger voice on the Council had shown them all how different. How different even Qui-Gon's views were from Dooku's. Of those on the Council, it was Plo and Kit who related most strongly. Unsurprising, really, they were two of the most empathic beings Mace had ever met.

The Living Force taught that the Force was truly sentient and that each and every lifeform and the galaxy gave and took from the Cosmic Energy that was the Force. To follow the Unifying Force, one had to be clear headed, an open mind to all possibilities, to follow the Living Force one needed to have an open heart, to be always present rather than letting one's choices be overly informed by the future or the past but reacting to the present.

Mace thought it was a risky business, it opened you up to manipulation and could lead to impulsive decisions that had far too high possibilities of blowing up in one's face.

But Qui-Gon would argue that if one was truly acting with the Force, then risks were medicated, and that waiting too long to react allowed for opportunities to change bad things from happening to slip by.

Yoda seemed to have decided that a threat to their younglings was too big a threat to meditate on.

Mace found himself in agreement.

But that didn't make him less suspicious of Qui-Gon withholding information.

And on that too, the Council also seemed to be in agreement on.

Depa pressed the point, "Jinn, what have you neglected to tell us?"

Qui-Gon turned from the door Rey had departed from it and his face was blank, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Obi-Wan shook his head at his Master in amusement.

Sifo-Dyas was looking between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Dooku and said, "They are definitely hiding something. Why did Rey say that and I quote, 'But it did happen, all the Jedi died.'"

Qui-Gon cleared his throat, "I told you that she was a time traveller, correct?"

Silence.

Yoda squinted up at the tall maverick, "Tell us, you did not."

Qui-Gon looked thoughtful, "Really, I'm sure I must have mentioned it."

Mace stepped up to the man and glaring into those falsely innocent midnight blue eyes, he nearly spat, "The hell you did."

Qui-Gon almost smiled as he folded his arms in his sleeves, "No, I must have told you, that seems like too big a thing to simply slip my mind."

Mace closed his eyes and said with real feeling, "Jinn, you motherfucker."

* * *

AN: I had this chapter plotted since chapter 3. I am so happy to finally be able to write it fully and share it with you all. Thoughts, reactions, puppies, or feedback, pretty please?


	37. An Offering of Peace

Chapter 37 - An Offering of Peace

The younglings were sent away to Serreno before any others began to move or any announcements were given.

They went in small unmarked transports with the Temple Guard and some the Orders strongest Jedi Knights. They slipped away in the night with none the wiser.

The second stage of the evacuation of the Jedi was another matter altogether.

The hologram of the Council Member, Master Mace Windu was met with scorn and apathy.

"The Jedi Order made the Galactic Republic. And though we were never perfect, when we stepped back from leading the government, we did so with the understanding that keeping the peace would be our primary function. But the Republic has broken and now goes against all that the Jedi believes in. We will not continue to support corruption, we will not support a government that seeks not to help their people but to profit from them, nor will we support a Galactic civil war."

And people laughed.

The Chancellor laughed.

For those who thought they knew anything about the Jedi Order, they said the Jedi were nothing without the Republic to support them.

That the Jedi would have no friends in their exile, that they would have nowhere to go.

The Republic, the galaxy, had been aware of the Jedi Temple, of the Jedi Knights, but only marginally. There were, after all, only about ten thousand Jedi Knights, with maybe a thousand or two more Padawan learners at any given time.

Yet the Jedi Service Corps, that was an entirely different matter.

For while Jedi Knights had been forbidden, with few exceptions, from marriage in the last four thousand years, those in the Service Corps had not been held to such restrictions.

Officially speaking, the Service Corps had about a hundred thousand members living that had been raised at the Temple.

But including their families, and the descents of those generations long past, those who worked and lived and made up the settlements of the service corps numbered in the millions.

And the movement of these peoples, though long unacknowledged by the citizens of the Republic, or even the Senate they served, did not continue to go unacknowledged.

From the Exploration Corps, the security and research they had been providing went dark for the Republic. Teachers from the Educational Corps said goodbye to their students and entire schools were forced to shut down. From the Medical Corps things became complex. They didn't just bring their families, they brought some of their patients along with them as well. Most of that Corps brought little with them, and like the teachers, they opted to leave their medical supplies and hospitals completely intact behind for the citizens they had been serving.

As for the Agricultural Corps…

Their absence was immediately felt.

There just weren't that many people in the galaxy who worked for free and gave people food freely.

The Senate was the first to stop laughing when demands for economic help became heard.

And the Republic at large stopped laughing when hundreds of thousands of ships entered Coruscanti orbit. The media went wild with conspiracy theories. Though, no one was fool enough to call the assortment of shuttles, fraters, and deep spacer ships as an invasion.

In a matter of weeks, every member of the Jedi Order and their extended families and communities were present.

News pundits went even deeper with their speculations: _What do they think they are going to do now? Hide in their Temple?_

None in the galaxy, least of the Sith Lords, expected what followed...

* * *

They started with the archives.

Plo Koon wasn't certain that he was ready to move, yet in all his life he had never felt so connected as when all of his brothers and sisters across the galaxy arrived in a single place.

The action of moving became not a thing of sorrow and loss but something of reverence and a time of coming together.

The phrase 'many hands make light work' became evident in everything they did. Disassembling the archives, for instance, did not take them days as Plo had feared, but rather hours.

He was told that moving the Corps had taken so long because of quitting their duties and the distance travelled. As in large, the Jedi as a people, even their descendants, were not highly materialistic. Few of their people had more than a box of clothes and a handful of belongings outside of the things they needed for their work.

At the Temple, the library and equipment were the taxing part. Yet starting at sunrise, the Temple was empty by noon.

Which preceded the fun part.

In retrospect, it might have been easy to put up a shield and simply bomb the building.

But this had been their home, their people's home.

And more than that this was a symbol of hope in the galaxy. So they did not bomb it.

They took it apart, brick by brick. They rotated Knights and even strong accolades that had not continued their training at the academy, to lift the stones and put them into the two new and extremely large fraters they had purchased for this occasion.

In working from the top down and in disturbing the stones and the other materials that made up the building the infection from the Sith Shrine became more and more obvious.

But no one treated their duty of dismantling the Temple with any less dignity, the Darkness they felt was only reassurance that what they were doing was right.

They worked through the night, and as the power of the Temple was out, they worked in darkness, the Force guiding their motions for those with less superior night vision. The Temple's basement and lowest levels were the hardest to pull apart. The centre of the shrine Master Yoda himself dismantled and carried to the fraters to be put with the rest of the Temple.

As the sun rose, Plo was blown away by their Argercultural Corps as they took over. Having come prepared, they dumped shiploads of rich soil into the cavern the Temple and shrine had left behind.

The earth was packed and by midday they were all taking orders from the farmers who gave them bags of grass seed.

The people of Coruscant gathered around at the edges of the grounds to gawk, as the absence of the Temple was replaced by sweaty beings covered in dirt and dust digging at the earth that probably hadn't been cultivated or seen direct sunlight in… well, four thousand years.

Their farmers showed the galaxy the real magic that the Jedi held as they encouraged sprouts to grow from seeds, and they turned a field of turned dark earth into a garden of sweet-smelling flowers, new grass, and treelings.

Where the centre of the Temple had been was laid a circular mosaic in white and darkest blue Alderaanian marble. The mosaic made up the Jedi insignia, of which Grandmaster Yoda laid the last stone.

For as long as Plo would live, he would never forget looking down at what they had created together as they rose in the air on transports.

Where the Temple had been was a space of something so infinitely more beautiful than any building could ever be. The Jedi grounds seemed like a emerald jewel as they rose further and further away from the surface. It was the largest stretch of greenery on the entire planet of Coruscant.

It seemed right that this would be their legacy. That the Jedi would leave the Republic with an offering of peace.

Of life and wellbeing when the Republic was throwing itself into an unnecessary war.

Upon reaching orbit and were clear of all other ships, they fired on the two fraters they had packed with the remains of the Jedi Temple and Sith Shrine. Nothing living had been on those two ships and the explosives they used left nothing but dust and shards of shrapnel behind.

From the surface, it must have looked like they had been attacked. But the media had followed them up into the atmosphere, they had been recorded heavily enough that the news would report that the Jedi themselves had blown up their own ships.

Their own Temple.

It was an end.

It was a beginning.

In a matter of weeks, the Jedi Order in its entirety had left the Republic, and in two standard days, their Temple had been removed from existence.

He wondered how the galaxy would respond to this, and he felt some satisfaction at all the Senators that had mocked them, who said it was impossible for them to leave and that they were not brave enough to let go of their past.

"Master Plo," Feral asked, staring down at the planet they were leaving, "Isn't the Republic going to accuse us of being Separatists now?"

Plo laid a hand on his Padawan's shoulder, "Perhaps, but attacking us now would be a fool's gambit."

Feral nodded, his golden eyes still huge.

Plo smiled, he had anticipated today to be one of sadness.

He hadn't expected to feel so hopeful for their future, for this new path of the Jedi.

* * *

"How was it?" Rey asked him as they stepped off the transport.

Obi-Wan was covered in so much dirt he was thinking of just throwing himself in the nearest river.

Rey on the other hand was bright-eyed and smelled like the soups they used in the nurseries. In her arms she held two toddlers, both asleep and drooling on her shoulders.

Obi-Wan motioned to the younglings as Qui-Gon waved hello and good-bye as he went straight for the river he himself had been eying.

Rey grinned at him, and spoke in a normal voice, "This is Eekie and Sirue, they could sleep through an asteroid bombardment."

He shook his head, and sighed, "It was… I've never worked with so many other Jedi before. And the Jedi in the Corps… I always thought my life would be terrible as one of them but Rey… they are truly incredible."

Rey smiled, "Well that's good, seeing as we'll all be living with each other now."

Obi-Wan looked around at the camps being made, parked ships insides and outsides being used as shelters.

Taking apart a Temple was easier than making a new one would be. For one, the Temple on Courscant wouldn't have had the room to house everyone making themselves at home in this field on the edge of a wood.

No, their population might require a city. But likely they would stay spread out, make more modest homes and join the smaller towns and cities already on Serreno.

The new Temple would be a place of meditation, training, and gathering, not a home in and of itself.

This really was the perfect planet.

Taking in a deep breath, Obi-Wan let his mind settle, the clean air beckoning his thoughts to clarity.

"Were there any problems?" Rey asked.

He shook his head, and opened his eyes to meet her gaze. She had gone with the first groups to be with the younglings and initiates, both because she powerful enough to be a great asset if Serreno had been attacked before the rest of the Order could settle and because no one had wanted to risk her having a vision when they were literally taking apart a Sith Shrine.

Quinlan had stayed on Serreno for the same reason, though he was notably less useful in tending to the little ones.

"No, no problems, though no one is sure what is going to happen to the Republic now," he said, stepping out of the way others disembarking to make camp and take a dip in the river.

Rey offered, "It'll work out, whatever happens, it will be better than encouraging a civil war."

"This is the end of the Republic," Obi-Wan stated with a sigh, "Even I didn't realize how much our Corps were supporting the economy."

Rey smiled, "The Republic planets can take care of themselves if they put the work in. But we're in the Outer Rim now, trust me when I say there are plenty of peoples out here that will need Jedi aid."

Obi-Wan smiled back at the light in her eyes, "You're right, and for now, I don't think we all won't benefit from taking care of ourselves for a while."

A group of children from one of the Agriculture Corps campsites started singing in what appeared to be in competition with the Medical Corps kids who sang back the verses in a call in response.

Rey grinned, "Good thing the Council removed the marriage restrictions. I heard some of the Temple Guards talking about what will happen to the Corps with more oversite, but my credits are on the culture from the Corps dominating over the Academy Temple habits."

As Obi-Wan watched Jedi Knights meeting with people they likely hadn't seen since their initiate years and then meeting their spouses and children, he had no doubts that Rey was right.

The Jedi Order was going to be more than an organization of like-minded sisters and brothers, they were going to become a people that the galaxy was going to recognize first by their culture and only second by their powers.

* * *

AN: Short chapter but I will be posting another chapter tomorrow. Thoughts, reactions, turtleducks?


	38. The Mando and The Clone

Claimer: Dear Disney, if any of you use this coming idea as a fix for your plot holes, I want credit. Contact me.

* * *

Chapter 38- The Mando and the Clone

"Now, I can't promise you this will work, but your past exists in the future, or it would have. Yet, however far it exists in your mind, that much should be possible for us to find."

They had hiked part way up a mountain to a natural cave. Rey sat crossed-legged on the floor in a triangle with Master Sifo-Dyas and Vos, she couldn't say she was thrilled about sharing her memories with Vos, but she wanted to know who she was.

"Ready?" Master Sifo-Dyas asked, offering his hand.

"Come on, Twinkle-Toes, I have better things to be doing," Vos said, holding out his hand expectantly.

They would guard her, their united intent and she the focusing object.

Taking in a deep breath, she reached for their hands.

The world blurred around her and she fell into a dream of her own memories.

At first, she felt sea-sick, falling through the pages of her past with no hope of reaching the bottom.

But Vos and Sifo-Dyas were better at this than Rey had given credit for, and they found the memory she needed.

oOo

The vast canopy of the Nubian rain forest opened above her, her feet pressing in the soft earth, the soil was so rich it was black.

And the smell of rain, of wet bark, and sweet, sweet flowers.

It almost always rained here, it was likely the least populated place on all of Naboo, and they lived several kilometres away from the nearest town.

A staff whapped down on hers, the clunk of the wood was exhilarating.

"Reyna," her mother chided, "stay focused." But she smiled as she brought her staff around and Rey dropped and rolled on the ground.

"It's just Rey, Mom," she said, stabbing forward with her staff which her mother easily deflected.

Her mother's laugh was richer than the dirt slid and landed face first in.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today," her mother said, helping Rey to her feet and sitting her down on a tree trunk, "Your father is not going to be impressed with us." Her fingers brushing the dirt from Rey's face and hair.

"Mama, how'd you learn to fight so good?"

Her mother hummed, "Now that's a long story."

"Why?" Rey asked, rubbing at her face.

Her mother snorted and seemed to give up on getting her face cleaned, "Well, it's a long story because of the reasons I had to learn to fight."

Rey pulled her legs up on the log, neither of her parents ever talked about their past. She was pretty sure they were hiding from other people because other people weren't them. Mama and Papa even used fake names when they went into town.

"Well, to begin with, I was born during the Clone Wars."

Rey patted her mother's lap, "Really! What was that like!?"

Again her mother laughed, "I don't know, Rey-Rey, I was a baby. But you see my birth was something of a complication."

"Why?"

"Well, to start with, my mother was the Duchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryze."

Rey gasped, "You were a princess!?"

Her mother grinned, her blue eyes sparkling, "Not quite, though you and I might have been Duchesses too one day if it hadn't been for the civil war."

Rey crossed her arms, "That's no fair. Did the clones attack Mandalore too?"

"No, it was a group called Death Watch, they didn't like my mother's laws. She was a very brave woman, but she knew it wasn't safe for her to have a child yet. So she hid her pregnancy from the galaxy and hid me, even from my own father."

Again, Rey gasped, putting both hands to her lips, "But why?"

"Because he was a Jedi."

"Are Jedi bad?"

Mama shook her head, "No, in fact, I was named after two Jedi Knights. My true name, the one my mother gave me, is Ahsano Kenobi. My father's name was Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano was a friend of my parents."

"What's a Jedi Knight?"

"Jedi were religious people who tried to defend the galaxy with magical powers."

"Are you a Jedi? Do you have magical powers?"

"I might have been, but the Jedi Order doesn't exist anymore and their knowledge of magic faded with them. They fell with the Old Republic."

"Why couldn't you be with your dad though?" Rey asked.

"Because he was a General in the Clone Wars, and if being Duchess Satine's daughter was dangerous, then being his daughter was even more dangerous. Both my parents had lots of enemies."

"But they weren't bad?"

"No, they weren't bad people, in fact, your grandparents were very good people trying to do very hard things to help others."

"Where are they now?" Rey asked.

"They died in the war. I don't think anyone had time to tell my dad I was born before he passed, but had my mother not hidden I might not be here today either."

Rey frowned, "They died when you were a baby?"

Mama nodded.

"Then who raised you?"

"Well, the family my mother gave me too also died in the war on Mandalore. But I was rescued and raised by two Mandalorians, Chakraborty and a weapons master, Master Maas."

Rey's eyes went big, "You had _two_ dads?"

Mama laughed, "Two fathers, and they were true Mandalorians who raised me to be a warrior."

"Is that why you have all that armour in our closet?"

She nodded, "That's why, and that's why I'm going to train you to be a warrior too."

oOo

The world blurred and days and months and years passed like heartbeats.

oOo

The dream morphed and Rey was older now and she was standing outside her house listening to her parents' fight.

"What did you tell her about the Force!?" her father yelled, pacing back and forth, running a hand angrily through his short hair.

"Nothing, Ishaan, I told her nothing, your father-"

"He isn't my father! He's- He's a thing- Why couldn't he stay dead!?"

"Ishaan, you need to breathe," Mama told him.

"Breathe? Don't tell me to breathe, you don't know what this is like! We are being hunted because of me! This is my fault! I should never have dared having fam-"

Mama slapped him.

Rey put her hands to her lips to hide her gasp, she had never seen her parents hit each other before.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare regret bringing our child into this world!"

"But don't you see? He isn't hunting me, he wants her! He's in my dreams, Ahsano. Every night he whispers in my mind. He'll find us, he'll find her!"

"Then we run."

"We can't run forever."

"The hell we can't," Mama said, "my mother failed at nearly everything in her life, but she still kept me safe. We can do the same for our Reyna."

"Rey is too powerful, Ahsano, don't you understand that? She's not just a Palpatine, she's a Kenobi. That isn't a lineage she can just walk away from. Our only hope of keeping her hidden was suppressing her knowledge of the Force and you told her ab-"

"I told her that Jedi Knights were magic users, I didn't tell her anything about the Force! She has an innate gift, Ishaan, at her age, I did too. But a child's mind… it will pass. If we can just get her through the next few years…"

"He's going to find us."

"He won't, I promise you, my love. As the daughter of a Jedi Master and a pacifist Mandalorian, I know about hiding. As a Mandalorian warrior myself, I know how to fight and hide."

"It won't be enough," her father said almost too low for her to hear, "the Emperor made thousands of clones. I was the only one who made it out of the tanks wholly human, but I have no connection to the Force. I'm just a disappointment."

Rey peeked over the sill to see her mother embrace him, "I'm glad you aren't what that monster wanted you to be. Ishaan, you are more than a clone, you are the love of my life, you are Rey's father. Let the rest of the galaxy burn, _we _need you."

Papa wrapped his arms around her, "Ahsano…" he sighed, "Ahsano, she is what he wants. She would be his perfect vessel."

Mama pushed back from him, "I will blow up any idiot who even thinks that creepy old evil sorcerer is going to possess my daughter."

"We need to go somewhere that will hide Rey's presence in the Force."

"We could try finding Luke Skywalker, that lunatic who blew up the Death Stars."

Ishaan snorted, "Why would a Skywalker help a Palpatine?"

Her mother put her hands on her hips, "A Kenobi. She's as much my daughter as she is yours. My father trained his father. And Ahsoka Tano was Anakin Skywalker's Jedi apprentice. That's what my fathers told me about them."

Papa was silent for a long time, "It's not worth the risk. We don't know anything about Luke Skywalker except that he nearly killed Emperor Palpatine. What if he figured out why I was made? What if he decided that letting Rey live and grow up to her full potential was too dangerous? No, we must keep her safe on our own."

"Or maybe, Luke Skywalker might have the resources we need to finish the job he starte-"

"_No!"_ Papa yelled, "No, we are staying out of it."

"Ishaan, we cou-"

"We would die. Unless you want to go find this Luke, become a Jedi and-"

"I'm a Mandalorian, I don't need the kriffing Force to assassinate a mark."

"If you go down that path, you will orphan our daughter. Your parents tried fighting for the greater good and they failed."

They were silent for a long time.

Rey sank low to the ground, pressing her back against the wall.

She was a Palpatine.

And Emperor Palpatine was a monster.

Did that make her a monster too? Was that why Papa was so angry so often? Because of her?

She hadn't understood much of her parents' conversation, but she did understand that it was her fault.

"Jakku," her mother said, "There's a convergence in the Force there, even I can feel it."

Papa sighed, "Let's start packing."

"If we sell my armour, we could buy a ship."

"Ahsano… no, we can-"

"We don't own anything else of worth."

"But your father made-"

"Our daughter is more important, and a Mandalorian is more than their armour."

"But it's your identity."

"I am Mandalorian Ahsano Kenobi, and there is no one and nothing in this life or the next that can take that from me."

Rey hugged her knees to her chest.

They were leaving their home, and that was her fault.

Mama was selling her armour, and that too, was her fault.

Again the vision blurred, days skipping.

The ship they bought was a piece of junk, even Rey could tell that, but Mama said she was saving the credits from her sold armour for food and fuel.

Jakku was hot, but not hot like their rainforest.

No, it was so dry that her skin itched, and they had to wear extra clothes to keep the sun off their skin.

Rey hated it.

But she didn't complain, this was her fault after all.

She was a Palpatine.

She was the monster.

Just like the Emperor that the galactic hero Luke Skywalker had killed.

They hadn't been living on Jakku for more than a few weeks. When her entire world changed.

"I'll message my cousin when we get past orbit," Mama said, scrambling around their makeshift home, hardly more than a tent in the desert.

"How did they find us?"

"They found you," Mama said, "When we were leaving Naboo, they must have caught a holo-image of your face."

Papa froze, "Which means they know your face too."

"I know how to get a marker removed," Mama said with dura-steel in her voice. "Rey will be safe enough here until one of my people get here to save her."

"I'm coming with you," Rey said.

Mama cupped her face in her hands, "Not this time, my baby girl, but we will come back for you."

Her father kissed her cheek as he passed them and told her, "You will be safe here."

Mama wrapped her in a hug, "We love you."

Rey felt tears spill down her face, and she whispered so only Mama could hear as Papa frantically packed things away, "Are you leaving because I'm a monster like the Emperor?"

Mama knelt before her, pushing her hair back from her face, "Never be afraid of who you or where you came from. One day, my daughter, the galaxy will remember your name, not for the horror you caused but for the light you brought them. Rey Palpatine, you will be counted among the brightest of stars."

Rey shook her head, "Please, don't leave me."

"You have the heart of a warrior, my love." Her mother held her tight, her blue scarf smelling of the perfumes they used in the markets. "Rey, be brave."

Her father hugged them both, and he told her again, "You'll be safe here. I promise."

oOo

Rey came back to herself, and curled her arms around herself and fought not to cry.

Her father had kept his promise. She had been safe, at least from the Emperor. A man who was both her father and her grandfather and neither.

Her father had been a clone, and had been made to be Palpatine's vessel.

Which is what her father feared he would try to do to her.

Sheev Palpatine truly was an evil monster.

Vos cursed, "Girl, be glad you forgot that. How could you think any of that was your fault?"

"You heard my thoughts?"

"We saw and felt everything you did," Sifo-Dyas said a bit distantly, rubbing his eyes.

Rey clenched her fists, "How could I have forgotten that my mother was a Mandalorian? If I had just asked for help…"

Sifo-Dyas touched her knee, "You were raised in isolation, child, and your parents leaving you… that was a trauma, you didn't just lose your parents, you lost your world. That's why you forgot."

"But I waited for them, I never forgot about them," she said.

He shook his head, "The mind… a mind that young… Your mind was trying to protect itself, protect you. You had to in order to survive on a planet like Jakku, as a slave."

Rey covered her face, "She didn't sell me, they didn't sell me into slavery. That's never what they intended for me."

"Yeah," Vos said, "your mother's cousin was a piece of bantha-"

"Can we find out what happened to them?" she asked, cutting off the man with dreadlocks.

Vos glared at her, the golden band across his face accentuating his frown lines.

Sifo-Dyas sighed, and stroked his beard, "Perhaps, Quinlan actually led that vision quest more than I did. But whether I could perceive a future that is no longer possible-"

"Please," Rey nearly begged, "Please, at least try?"

He nodded, "We can try. Master Vos, if you are ready?"

Vos nodded, and again they held their hands out to her.

It wasn't nearly as instantaneous this time, and Rey had to give Vos credit, he had been able to skim her past for exactly the right memories she had needed to remember.

But what Master Sifo-Dyas was searching for in the Force was less distinct, less solidified.

The future was always like that.

They sat in mediation for what felt like hours and only glimpsed snippets, flashes.

Monsters in tanks, Sheev a decayed corpse, his voice reaching out to them.

_You, like your father, are now… mine._

But then what they were looking for, found them.

* * *

Ahsano smashed her fist against the dash, "I can't send a signal! Ishaan, I can't send a signal!"

Ishaan was pulling up an emergency transmission even as the tractor beams pulled them in.

They had made a mistake bringing Rey to Jakku, it was too close to the Unknown regions.

Ahsano was trying to hotwire her own datapad to the emergency backup generator. Her voice was panicked as she said, "No one knows she's there."

Her golden brown hair falling out of her bun as she ripped her scarf off to use it as a grip to get a panel off.

Ishaan roared, and threw the box, "Nothing! We have to get back to her! I promised her she'd be safe there, but the slavers-"

"We can use one of their escape pods-"

The sound of their ship being punctured started the alarms.

Ahsano threw him a blaster, before strapping her own high powered rifle over her shoulder.

Ishaan almost dropped it, "Ahsano-"

"Just point and shoot," she snapped at him as they waited for the Emperor's goons to come through.

And come they did.

Ishaan's shots went wide causing the Black Cloaks to duck for cover.

Ahsano Kenobi on the other hand...

She didn't miss a single shot.

Ishaan gave her a sheepish smile when no one else came through the hole.

She rolled her eyes, and grabbed his wrist, dragging him over the bodies and through the exit. They were in an unmarked Star Destroyer that had come out of the blackness of nightmares to plague the galaxy.

Ahsano muttered under her breath, "I can't believe I married a man who can't aim."

Ishaan let out a short laugh, "That's because you like playing hero too much, Mando."

"Shhh," she hushed him, "I'm being a hero."

They ran down hall after hall.

"Where are we going?" Ishaan asked, finding the ship eerie.

In the years of the Empire and even the Old Republic, ships like this would be fully staffed.

But the creeps from Exegol were a different kettle of magboys.

"Tech room, it's not the first place they will look for us and I'll be able to do something to hide an escape pod or stolen ship."

"Do what?" he asked.

"I'll figure it out when we get there," she said, speeding up.

But they didn't get there.

Ahsano tripped her husband, which saved him from decapitation by axe.

In a clean motion, she unstrapped her rifle to punt the head of the black hooded fool before shooting him as he dropped.

She ducked as a boomerang came at her head.

Ahsano glared at the black-robed group before her, they were different from the Black Cloaks, mainly because they were wearing visible armor and enough weaponry to make her curious.

Ishaan had recovered and was working on the door to lock it either to stop reinforcements if they came or as a barrier if they needed to backtrack.

Ahsano was reminded strongly of how she had first met Ishaan.

Cocking her hip, she greeted the group of hooded idiots with a cheerful, "Hello there."

They said nothing, just stared at her, waiting for her to make the first move.

She smiled with humour she did not feel, "Apologies, but I don't think we've had the pleasure?"

"We are the Knights of Ren," one said in a gruff voice.

She pegged them as Dark Siders, and Ishaan must have assumed the same because he called, "Ahsano!"

She threw herself backwards, the blaster doors already halfway shut. She pulled a grenade from her hip belt and tossed it through the hole just as the doors swished shut. There was a dull pop, and Ishaan looked at her, his blue eyes amused, "You sold your armour but not your grenades?"

She shrugged, "I couldn't have bought a ship with grenades. Besides, I've never known explosives to not prove useful."

"I love you, Kenobi," he said.

"And I, you, my so sweet Palpatine," she returned as they continued running.

The grenade, however, did not prove enough to stop their new friends, the Knights of Ren.

They locked themselves in a command room. But when they tried to send a message to Ahsano's clan, they found that this ship wasn't just encrypted, but was using a different code and dialect than any she had seen before.

"Can you read it?" she asked.

Ishaan shook his head, "I've seen the script before but I didn't learn how to read until I escaped."

"Remind me again how you managed that?" she asked as she scanned the symbols and buttons for anything useful.

"I wore a black cloak and learned how to chant, child's play."

"Your childhood continues to depress me."

A sizzling on the other side of the door informed that the Knights of the Abyss had a kriffing blowtorch.

_Kriff._

Ishaan put a hand to his face, "We can't be captured, Ahsano, he'll break our minds, he'll find Rey."

Ahsano hit a button.

Red warning lights started going off. And the so-called Knights dropped their blow torch to run, the patter of their boots audible.

Ishaan turned on her, "What did you just do?"

"I found the self destruct button, it's the same colour and shape as the ones on the old imperial ships. We're lucky, this one didn't require a confirmation code," her voice was soft at the end.

"Who puts a self destruct button on their ship?" he asked, blue eyes wide.

"It's a carryover from the Clone Wars, the old adage of 'if I can't have it, neither can you.'"

"Do we have tim-"

She shook her head.

The door that had been locking their enemies out now kept them locked in

He paled, "No one is coming for her, we abandoned her."

"And no one will find her and bring her to the Emperor either. Rey is strong," Ahsano said, "She will find her way."

"We are going to miss her entire life," he said as they wrapped their arms around each other.

She rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat, "My father's people believed that there was no death, only the Force. We will be with her, always."

Ishaan closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the top of her head as he held her tight, he said, "Ahsano Kenobi, you have made my life worth living."

They died in each other's arms as a ship imploded on the fringes of the galaxy.

* * *

"Rey."

Rey jerked back from Masters Sifo-Dyas and Vos. Both looked at her with compassion.

The arms that caught her were instantly familiar. "Obi-Wan," she said, voice breaking as she turned to hug him.

He held her tight, "I felt your distress in the Force."

She pushed back from him, "Did you see-"

But she could tell by his expression that he had seen either the end of the second vision or all of it. She pulled him into a hug this time.

"I had a daughter," he said weakly, "and a granddaughter, and I wasn't there for either of you."

She held him tighter, "We're here now."

And as the tears fell, Rey swore she could feel her mother in the Force.

Even if she was never born, even if the future would never be what it had been, the Force remained.

And her mother had never truly left her.

* * *

AN: Please review?


	39. Three Hundred Thousand

Chapter 39 - Three Hundred Thousand

* * *

23 BBY

* * *

Three hundred thousand.

Three hundred thousand.

There should have been more brothers. But a year after 'production' had started, the credits had run out.

Luckily, or so they were told, their expenses had been pre-paid.

Their _lives_ had been prepaid for.

Three hundred thousand lives.

Three hundred thousand brothers.

Jango Fett had trained them all personally for the first six years, only for him to pack up with his 'son' Boba Fett, and leave the rest of them to the Kaminoins who saw them as little more insects in jars.

And yes, Rex was bitter, bitter that their 'creators' still referred to them by number rather than by their names.

And bitter, because on the day they were supposed to leave, all three hundred thousand of them, the very day they had been loaded up into their four Star Destroyers, they had been called back.

Rex would never forget the anticipation, the taste of freedom as the engines started, as they were about to depart for what they had been training for all their lives, to fulfill their life's purpose.

Only for them to be called back because their Chancellor decided that they weren't enough.

_Only_ three hundred thousand wasn't enough for the Republic, and therefore, the Senate wasn't going to make the last payment.

Which is when everything went to hell.

All the lies were revealed and the Kaminoins began treating not just like science experiments, but trained pets.

'You all need surgery to remove the Chancellor's inhibitor chips and to correct your cell growth to extend your life spans,' they had been told unceremoniously.

It wasn't like they hadn't known that they were growing faster than normal humans, but none of them had really thought that they were due to die of old age fifty years sooner than everybody else.

And the inhibitor chips?

Kix had gotten into the records and discovered exactly what the chips were. Kix and their other medics had then seen to it to scan everyone themselves for any other biochips or mind-control devices.

All their lives, they had been trained to be loyal to the Republic and the Jedi Order.

But the Republic had turned its back on them, they had made them, then thrown their lives away. And the Chancellor…

Apparently the Chancellor was an evil mastermind who wanted them grown for the sole purpose of destroying the Jedi.

Taught to be loyal to them, earn their trust and then with a flick of a switch: dishonour, betrayal, and absolutely no freedom over their own actions.

Which is now what they Kaminoins wanted them for.

A 'small' army of Jedi-killers, that was their marketing strategy.

They were going to be sold like slaves to people who wanted to hunt and kill Jedi for sport or purpose.

Simulations in training changed from droids with blasters, to highly functioning elite droids armed with training lightsabers, that burned or electrified them if they got hit.

It was twisted, it was obscene, it was nauseating to realize that they were nothing but genetic material bred to kill the people they had been raised to honour and follow into death's arms for their nation.

A nation that didn't want them.

They were only three-hundred thousand men.

That wasn't enough, they weren't enough.

So slavery and mercenary work were all that was left.

Rex was afraid, his brothers were afraid.

Who would buy them? What cause would they be fighting for? Were they really going to have to kill Jedi Knights?

Or would they be divided?

Sold not as soldiers but actual slaves?

Rex was very much done leaving his fate in the Long-Necks' hands.

Their biggest problem wasn't so much getting off Kamino, no, they had figured that out years ago, but that they had nowhere to go. The rations they had on their would last a month, maybe two or three if they fasted, but after that… what were they supposed to do?

They weren't citizens of the Republic and he couldn't think of somewhere that would be able to hire them all, and being separated…

So short of becoming marauders, or forcibly taking over Kamino, a planet they all desperately wanted to escape, they had no one on the outside.

Jango had been their only link, but it was foolish to think he was ever coming back.

But in Jango, Rex got his idea.

Jango was a Mandalorian, and he had taught them the Way of the Mandalorian, from their language to their armour to their honour.

By rights, Rex and every one of his brothers were Mandalorians.

"What did you do?" Cody asked in Mandalorian, barging into their bunks.

Rex glared at Echo who was behind the Commander and mouthed, "Sorry."

They only spoke to each other in Mandalorian when they realized that while the Kaminoins had divested interest in the behaviours and genetic code, culture and language didn't seem to concern them at all and they had failed to learn so much as 'hello.'

"Captain, I am speaking to you."

Rex stood and went toe to toe with his friend. Rex was from the younger half of their creation, which while being less than a year apart wasn't insurmountable, at the rate they had grown sometimes it felt like being two or three years behind. The 501st had no commander, so technically, they were all ranked below the 212th, but Rex had given up on caring about rank when he had to allow himself to get brain surgery to get a mind control device out of his head.

"I did what I needed to do."

Cody glared harder at him, and spoke slowly, "What did you do?"

Rex crossed his arms, "What did Echo tell you?"

"I didn't tell him anything- ow, watch it!" Echo said as Gregor elbowed him in the side to shut up.

"Rex," Cody demanded.

Rex sighed, "I may or may not have snuck into Jango's old rooms with 99 to send a transmission."

"Send a transmission where?" Cody asked, "Jango isn't coming back, and you're just going to get yourself and others hurt trying to-"

"I didn't ask Jango for anything," Rex snapped, "I would never ask that osi'yaim for help. I sent a message to Mandalore."

Cody stared at him for a long moment as everyone in the bunk and everyone outside stayed perfectly quiet.

Finally, Cody said almost gently, "They won't come, Rex."

He shook his head, "You don't know that we are-"

"We aren't. All we know about Mandalore and the Mandalorians Fett taught, and when he left, he proved that everything he had ever taught us was a lie. Empty words without meaning. We might be human, but the rest of the galaxy will never see that."

Just then, Rex really felt like punching Cody.

Even if the rule-abiding ass was his best friend.

Running footsteps had them all turning to the hall.

Sergeant Sinker from the 104th came to a halt before them, "A ship from Serreno just landed on the docks, the Long-Necks are scrambling to have us hide the new equipment."

He sounded far too excited.

"So what?" Fives asked.

Sinker took off his helmet to treat them all with an exasperated look, "There are Jedi on Kamino."

They had all seen the holo-announcement thanks to the Long-Necks' own curiosity on the issue of Master Mace Windu declaring the departure of the Jedi from the Republic.

On one hand, it was amazing to see the people they were meant to work with do what was morally correct, to leave the Republic partially on a count of the Chancellor trying to use a Clone/Slave army to wage a galactic civil war.

On the other hand, _they_ were that army and without a war, they were stuck in what amounted to a prison camp and the Jedi leaving seemed to indicate that they wouldn't need clones for anything.

But maybe they were wrong.

An announcement came on of Lama Su's voice, "Fall in line, hangar bay seven."

They needed no more instruction, as everyone grabbed their gear and helmets to do fancy marching drills for the new potential buyers.

Things had been easier when they had believed they were just going to be shipped off in ignorance to fight in a war.

The familiar marching lines did a great deal to calm Rex's nerves as they lined up and squared off in perfect formation.

Thankfully, they weren't kept in suspense long, unfortunately, the Jedi were on the viewing platform with Lama Su. Rex had to strain his eyes to try to look upward without turning his head.

Every one of his brothers were so eager to have any news from the outside world that the hangar was quiet enough to hear the voices of the Jedi.

Strangely, the first voice Rex heard was famine and young, "Can we meet them?"

"Of course," Lama Su answered, and the Longneck gave the signal.

_Officers step forward._

Rex, Appo, Jesse, Hawk, and Fives stepped forward as the rest of the 501st stepped back.

A minute later, all the officers from the battalions had stepped to the front.

And the Jedi?

Lama Su gave a little exclamation as instead of waiting for the platform to bring them down the six Jedi simply leapt off the balcony, landing on the ground level with them as if they had wings on their ankles.

Rex wasn't sure what to hope for from today, but no matter what happened, the Jedi were cool. All of them were wearing something exotic, at least by their standards. The three human males looked how Jedi were supposed to look like, brown and cream robes, and while the Kel Dor wore robes too, he looked far more interesting. The two Torgutas seemed to be females, the older one wore a patterned dress under her outer brown robe. The young one, her montrals not even past her chest, she wore skin tight clothes and a warrior's skirt, on her hips she had two lightsaber hilts were plainly visible.

She was the one who stepped forward to speak, "Hi! These are Masters Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, Sifo-Dyas, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I'm Padawan Ahsoka Tano. Who are you?"

Rex blinked, _Did she want all the hundreds of their names_?

Lama Su gave that little breathy sound which was their way of scoffing, "They don't have names only numbe-"

"Captain Rex," he said, stepping forward to salute the Jedi.

Padawan Tano beamed at him and while those others gave quiet smiles dipping their heads in bows, he could have sworn the tall blue eyed male, Master Qui-Gon Jinn glared slightly at Lama Su.

Lama Su didn't notice as he was too busy glaring at Rex.

Except the commanders saved him.

"Commander Cody."

"Commander Wolffe."

"Commander-"

"Enough," Lama Su interjected, "Please, Masters, these are mere nicknames they have come to call themselves. Are there any relevant questions that I might be able to answer for you?"

All of the Masters put their hands in their sleeves as if preparing to bow.

But they didn't bow, they turned on Lama Su with hard looks that weren't exactly rude or angry, but the disappointment radiated off of them.

The Padawan's body language was much more expressive, she put her hands on her hips and scowled at the Long-Neck.

Rex had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing, he liked these people already.

"You said there are three hundred thousand troops, is that an exact number?" Master Ti said.

"Yes, Master Jedi, it is," Lama Su said, clearly glad to be back on familiar ground. "All of them are perfect soldiers ready for whatever galactic problem might arise."

"Surely you couldn't have had a hundred percent success rate," Master Jinn said, "They are humans, none of us is perfect."

Lama Su scowled, "The deviants were removed from the system."

Rex stiffened, knowing full well of their brothers that had disappeared in the night when they were younger.

They had been more than three hundred thousand of them once, and again he spared a thought for the brothers they had lost to achieve that rounded number.

Because that's all they were to the Kaminoins, numbers and credits.

"You murdered them!?" Padawan Tano exclaimed, sounding outraged, her hands flexing toward her sabers.

Rex really liked her.

Lama Su again made that light scoffing sound, "Hardly. An imperfect soldier would be killed in war."

No one missed that he hadn't outright denied the claim.

The stances of the Jedi had all changed by this point, and Rex was almost certain Lama Su had just lost all respect in their eyes.

Good.

"Ahsoka," Master Kenobi warned her.

She glared at him, but took in a sharp breath and exhaled slowly.

"Any other questions?" Lama Su asked.

"Many," Master Sifo-Dyas said, "but let's start simple. Are they all cloned from the same person?"

Lama Su bobbed his head, and gestured to the officers.

All of them took off their helmets.

All the Jedi except the Padawan tensed.

Master Sifo-Dyas jaw went a bit slack, "Jango Fett?"

Master Kenobi shook his head, "But that's impossible, you said when we first landed that you couldn't clone Force sensitives."

"Jango Fett is not Force sensitive," Lama Su answered.

The Jedi exchanged looks, then Master Kenobi addressed Rex directly, "Captain Rex, did you know Jango Fett?"

Rex nodded, "Yes, Sir, we all know him, he trained us for the first six years."

Again the Jedi exchanged looks and Master Sifo-Dyas said blandly, "So, you all were trained how to kill Jedi."

He said it as a statement.

So much for hiding the training sabers and the Neo-Jedi droids.

Lama Su was at a loss for half a second, but he recovered, "Why would you assume such a thing? These clones were designed to serve the Jedi Order."

Master Jinn gave him a look that spoke volumes, "Jango Fett killed five Jedi Knights with his bare hands. Mandalorian warriors have a history in picking fights with and hunting Jedi, why else would you choose Fett?"

Lama Su straightened to his full height, "Because after the Jedi, Mandalorians are the next best in the galaxy, and these men have been engineered to be the best of the best."

It was almost amusing to see Lama Su try to bluff the Jedi.

Master Kenobi asked, "When was the last any of you has seen Jango Fett?"

"Two years ago, Sir," Cody answered.

Master Kenobi nodded, "He wouldn't have happened to mention where he planned to go, did he?"

"He was given a new contract," Lama Su answered, "He left with his personal clone, Boba Fett."

"What was the contract?" Master Ti asked, "And what do you mean by 'personal', isn't every man here related to him?"

Yeah, Rex really liked the Jedi.

"Boba was unmodified, an exact replica of his father," Lama Su said, "And no, the contract was sizable, however, that much was clear."

So Jango had left them for credits.

Figures, that was probably the only reason he stayed on Kamino to begin with.

It certainly wasn't because he gave a kriff about them.

But what did the Jedi want to know so much about Fett?

Lama Su, for once in their entire existence, seemed to be on the same page, "What has Jango done?"

"Nothing big," Padawan Tano said, "Just attacked a Council member with a super drug and murdered his sister while using the Dark Side of the Force."

They all stared at her.

Lama Su blinked at her, "That would be impossible. Any clone made from any sentient with Force sensitive rarely makes it past incubation. Human Force sensitives in particular. If they do, the infants are decayed, their flesh begins to rot and they do not survive infancy."

Rex shuddered to think of all the beings that had died in Kamino due to these creatures meddling with things they shouldn't.

"Ew," Padawan Tano summed up, Master Kenobi gave her a hushing look.

Sifo-Dyas stroked his slim beard, "That's what Rey said. Is it possible to make a non-Force sensitive child from a Force sensitive."

Lama Su bobbed his head, "Yes, but that is rare. A direct skin tissue sample, almost impossible. One in a billion sperm will not carry the genes to encourage the growth of midi-chlorians. So too for an egg, but as human females produce those less readily, the chances of finding that one in a billion is tripled in lack of success. Even a small amount of Force sensitive will pervert a clone during incubation."

"What about their children?" Sifo-Dyas asked.

Rex was glad that they had been trained on how to keep their expressions still, because this conversation was strange.

"For a naturally conceived child of a non-Force sensitive clone that was miraculously made from a Force sensitive, I would guess that it would be more than likely that their child could be Force sensitive as midi-chlorians seem to follow certain patterns in DNA strands through different species. But as such a thing would be near impossible to achieve, such a child is fiction."

Sifo-Dyas and Jinn exchanged a long look. Tano snorted and Kenobi shook his head with a wry smile.

Rex felt like he was missing something.

Master Koon spoke for the first time, "I would like to see where these men have been living and training, if it is agreeable with them."

Lama Su looked relieved, "Of course, we-"

The Kel Dor held up a three, almost talon like, fingered hand. "It is their choice, I have asked to see their spaces."

Wolffe stepped forward, "We would be honoured to show you, Master Koon, Sir."

Master Koon bowed deeply to him, "I thank you, Commander Wolffe."

Rex knew they were numbered, and only three of them had spoken, but he was still pleased that the Jedi had remembered their name.

"Ahsoka," Kenobi said, "go with Plo, the rest of us can sort out the details."

Lama Su visibly brightened, "You wish to buy all of them?"

Master Jinn smiled, his voice was pleasant and deep as he said, "We wish to bring all of them with us off this planet, yes."

Lama Su escorted them away, "Of course, of course, come, we can show you to our finest rooms. You will, of course, wish to stay the night, you have travelled such a long way."

"Most kind of you," Kenobi said, giving Tano some gesture that Rex caught and Lama Su didn't.

Too bad Rex didn't know what it meant, it wasn't a Mandalorian gesture.

Tano stood next to Master Koon who seemed to be waiting for them.

Wolffe broke rank to step closer, he asked, "Master Koon, Sir?"

"We will follow you," he said, his voice kind.

Tano stepped lightly to Rex's side as he turned to follow. The other commanders gave the signals.

And more than half their number turned to load onto the Star Destroyers.

They were getting off this planet today and if the Jedi wanted to be gone in an hour, then they would be ready to go in an hour.

Cody and Wolffe stayed with the Jedi, as did Rex and his squad, Appo, Fives, Jesse, and Echo joined them as did Cody's men, Gregor, Waxer, Wooley, and Boil, while only Sinker and Wildfire joined them from the 104th.

Everyone else parted to fill up the spaces Master Koon had requested to see.

Wolffe walked them through the tour as Master Koon spoke gently, asking questions that were incredibly unintrusive or with such respect that even if he hit a sore topic no one was ruffled by it.

None of them had ever been spoken to like this before, not even by each other.

Rex could already tell that Wolffe adored him.

Rex himself was still afraid to hope that this was really happening.

"So what do you guys do for fun?" Tano whispered to him.

Rex couldn't help but give her a half smile with his helmet still in his opposite arm from her, "Sabacc, Sir."

She grinned, "You can call me Ahsoka. The Jedi Order isn't a military organization, we only call the Masters Master because they are our teachers. I didn't think with how strict that Lama lady is she would let you play Sabacc."

Echo coughed from somewhere behind him and he was pretty sure Fives, Wildfire, and Wooley gave low sniggers.

"Lama Su is male," he corrected her carefully, "And no, he isn't fond of the game. We don't get much opportunity to play, not since Jango left, but he's the one who taught us how to play."

"Do you speak Mandalorian?" she asked.

He nodded and asked interestedly, "Do you?"

She shook her head, "Nope, but my friend started teaching me."

Rex lowered his voice, hoping Master Koon wasn't paying them mind, "I got the impression that true Mandalorians don't like Jedi?" He made it a question even though they all knew it to be fact.

"My friend, Rey, she's Master Jinn's Padawan, her mother was a Mandalorian. She's a Jedi but her Mando friends have been trying to get her to drop out of the Order and join them for years."

"And the Jedi Order allows that?" Waxer asked from behind them.

She turned and walked backwards, completely unafraid of crashing into anyone, "They weren't happy about it. But Rey gets in trouble a lot for stuff like that, it's why she hasn't been Knighted yet. Though my Master, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, says it's really Master Jinn's fault for not teaching her better about Jedi history."

Rex was fascinated and so were his brothers because Fives asked, "Get in trouble for what?"

"You know that Jedi aren't supposed to give away their lightsabers or teach other people how to make them, right?"

They all nodded.

Ahsoka's blue eyes sparkled with mischief, "She gave her saber to Mandalorian and he made her saber staff out of Beskar."

Rex almost tripped over his own feet. Gregor actually froze in his tracks and Waxer bumped into them.

Cody looked over his shoulder to glare at them all, as Master Koon turned, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes, Sir," they all said in unison, quickly finding their feet.

Appo spoke up, "Are you telling us a Mandalorian just gave a Jedi Beskar, Mandalorian iron, for nothing?"

Ahsoka nodded, "They got lost in the woods on Kashyyyk together and saved a bunch of Wookie younglings. Apparently she caught their bounty for them or something, anyway, Master Maas and she made a saber staff. Apparently the Jedi Council was really mad for a while."

"Master Maas?" everyone but Cody and Wolffe echoed.

Ahsoka grinned, "Yep, that guy. He's really nice."

_That guy. _Was _the_ weapons Master.

Master Koon turned and revealed he had been paying attention the entire time when he said, "With few exceptions, Mandalore and the Jedi Order have come to an understanding. Padawan Rey has become something of a competition between our peoples, she continues to learn more of their culture, which offends some of the traditionalists among us, while she continues to snub the Mandalorians by not abandoning the Order."

"Maas and Chakraborty keep threatening to kidnap her," Ahsoka informed in a blase manner.

Well, Rex thought, at least their lives weren't apt to be boring with the Jedi.

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Wooley asked.

Master Plo smiled with his eyes, "She is almost thirty, if they ever succeeded in truly kidnapping her, she would be back in a week or two."

"Oh," Wooley said uncertainly.

They were used to joking with themselves but the Jedi's sense of humour was… well, they weren't sure how to interact with it, what the boundaries were.

Wolffe took the lead, "These are the training gyms."

Some of their brothers we're going through some of the basic drills, putting on a show for the people who were hopefully getting them out of here without anyone having to lose their lives or be left behind.

"Hey Captain, do you like sparring?" Ahsoka asked him.

He nodded, "Of course."

"Would you like to spar with me?"

He blinked down at her. She must have been thirteen or fourteen, though he supposed she had been in training as long as he had been.

But sparring with a Jedi when they had spent the last few months training to kill Jedi? He thought he was justly worried.

Yet he shoved aside those worries, "It would be an honour, Ahsoka."

Wolffe gave him a grin and Cody gave him a warning look and Master Koon continued to look on with silent attentiveness.

Entering the gym, the mats immediately cleared for them. Rex put his helmet on a bench and turned to face the Togruta.

She tossed both her lightsaber hilts to Master Plo which made Rex feel slightly better and slightly more worried. What if he hurt her?

She got into a stance and motioned him forward, her eyes glinting with anticipation.

Rex swallowed his nerves and let himself trust her reflexes and that the Master Jedi would call it the Padawan was in danger.

He threw a punch.

And not only did he miss utterly, but she foot swept him.

Landing with a grunt, he kicked out of her, and air was all he encountered.

She kicked back and he rolled away and to his feet mili-seconds from getting hit.

What proceeded was the most interesting fight of his life. They managed to check each other, but no blow truly hurt even if they might have some bruises in the morning.

It was exhilarating though, everything she did was unexpected. She moved like the wind and struck like a whip. And she was so much smaller than him, yet she more than kept pace.

She was better than him, more violent even. If he had really needed to kill her, he would have needed a weapon or a bomb.

And Jango had strangled five Jedi Knights in a hand to hand situation. Either Jango had been holding out on them or this female was exceptional.

"Alright," Master Koon called.

Rex immediately stepped back and Ahsoka bounced back on the balls of her feet.

"Well done to you both," Master Koon continued. "And most impressive, Captain Rex. 'Soka was head of her class at the Temple, keeping up with her is no small feat."

"Thank you, Sir," Rex said, feeling absurdly pleased with himself.

But the feeling passed when Wolffe asked, "How soon do you think the Jedi will be able to transfer funds to the Kaminoins?"

Rex stiffened, and he saw Cody do the same but Plo didn't seem offended, "Oh, there will be no transferring of funds. Paying for your lives would be akin to enabling slavery."

Rex felt his heart sink.

All the Kaminoins cared about was money.

Plo shook his head, "Have hope, my friends, Lama Su is sitting with the Negotiator and Qui-Gon Jinn. Things will work out one way or another."

"The Negotiator is my Master, he has a reputation," Ahsoka informed them.

But Rex, at least, was not comforted. The Jedi weren't going to come to agreement with the Long-Necks because all they cared about was credits.

And the Jedi wouldn't get off the moral high ground, they would have to leave him and his brothers behind.

The rest of the tour wasn't nearly as interesting.

Ahsoka, seeming to notice the mood shift, stopped talking to them as they all followed Wolffe and Master Koon through their prison.

Wolffe, Sinker, and Wildfire seemed to have put their faith in Master Koon.

Rex held onto his bitterness.

Jango Fett had taught him that nobody but a brother could be truly trusted.

oOo

That evening, after they had their rations that accounted for dinner, Fives elbowed him.

Rex looked up from his hands where he had been drifting off into misery to see…

Rex's brows shot up and he exchanged a look with Fives.

They were back in the gyms, the 501st and the 212th training together trying to work out their frustrations about what verdict would be given in the morning.

Work out their frustration at the enviable disappointment.

But five figures were among them that did not belong.

Three of them could have passed, one was a bit taller than them and one a breath or so shorter.

But the other two… they were a full head shorter than any of them and the only reason their armour wasn't comically large on their frames was because they had found their old armour from a few years back.

And if that wasn't enough to draw them out, the numbers on their plates were CT-7567, CT-1119, CT-5597, CT-1409, and CC-5555. And considering they were all accounted for, their doppelgangers had about zero chance of blending in.

Cody made to stand, but Rex caught his arm, "No, don't."

"We have to report them."

"No, we don't. The Jedi aren't getting us off Kamino, and this is likely the most interesting thing that will happen to us, ever," Rex said.

Jesse grinned, "Can we mess with them?"

Appo snorted, "I think that's the point of not telling the Long Necks."

Jesse called out in basic, "Hey, CT-5597, what do you think you're doing slacking off?"

Everyone in the 501st knew Jesse's intention and number, which alerted everyone to their guests when they heard him call out his own name.

The big man came to attention, and answered in Basic as well, "Sir."

Jesse marched over to him, Rex and the others standing to follow, "You were supposed to be on the range fifteen minutes ago."

Imposter-5597 gave a salute and went to the weapons rack.

Rex crossed his arms, "You four with him."

The others followed.

It was clear they knew one end of a blaster from another, though the two shorties were out of sync with the other three.

Everyone gathered to see how this lot would shoot.

And every single one of them hit dead centre, on every shot. And they continued this for the next half an hour.

So Cody pointed them to the obstacle course.

The three taller imposters did fine, one of the short ones was clearly more flexible if a bit slower for the obstacles that required upper body strength, leading Rex to believe he was probably a she.

But the other short one.

Imposter CT-7567, broke the record on the course, while adding in five unnecessary flips.

"Definitely a Jedi," Hawk said under his breath.

Fives nodded.

Rex motioned to the imposters as the curfew lights began to flash.

Once they were in the dorms, Rex removed his helmet to turn on the imposters, speaking in Basic, he asked, "You do realize that we are all identical and that you're wearing some of our numbers, correct?"

He tapped his own number that duplicated on the possible Jedi Imposter.

But it was the other short one who took off her helmet first.

She was lovely, blonde, blue eyed, sharp features.

Rex caught Cody's surprise and interest by the sound of his quick inhale.

"We just needed to speak with," the first human female they had ever met said in Basic before switching to the father-tongue, "Your message was in Mandalorian, Captain Rex."

He switched to Mandalorian as he realized why she looked vaguely familiar, "Are you Duchess Satine Kryze?"

Every single one of his brothers within hearing came to attention as she said, "Yes, I am."

_Kriff._

Rex gaped at her and nearly stuttered, "You came yourself?"

She smiled at him, "You think the leaders of Mandalore are simply handed their titles and keep them by being fat cats?"

"No, Sir," he said, the hope that he had been fighting down all day rising.

The others took off their helmets as the Duchess introduced them, "This is our Prime Minister Chakraborty as well as Mandalorian warrior, Harris, and Master Maas."

Rex was pretty sure he was dreaming, he had to be dreaming.

Appo took off his helmet, "Master Maas?"

Maas was wearing Appo's old armour.

The grey eyed man smiled at them, "Glad to hear I've made a reputation for myself."

The final Imposter who had been wearing Rex's very old armour took of her helmet, she was the second female human they had ever met, and her hair was brown and braided back into three buns, her hazel eyes were bright as she said, speaking in as fluent Mandalorian as everyone else here, "And I'm Padawan Rey Palpatine."

Rex blinked at her as he tried to comprehend the corundum she had just tossed in his face. On one hand, it shouldn't have been surprising to meet the Padawan who Ahsoka had been talking about earlier. For one, Master Jinn was her Master and he was on Kamino now, and for another, if Ahsoka was to be believed, she was friends with Master Maas. Yet, on the other hand, Ahsoka had deliberately left out that Padawan Rey was a Palpatine.

"Are you related to Chancellor Palpatine?" Cody asked.

"Sort of," she said, "he's genetically my father."

"Genetically," Appo repeated dryly.

"My actual father was a clone of his," she explained.

Rex stared at her, there were other clones out there? That shouldn't have surprised him but it made him feel oddly better.

"She's also technically Chakraborty's and my granddaughter," Master Maas said.

Harris snorted, "Yeah, but she's actually Satine's granddaughter."

Rex was lost as Satine glared at them all, "Yes, ha ha, you all are so very funny but Obi-Wan and I are never getting together again in this reality."

Chakraborty nodded, "Just like we are never letting the evil Sith Lord, people call the Chancellor, make and torture his clones."

"Um, forgive me," Wooley said, "but you don't look old enough to be a grandmother."

Rex raised his brows at his brother, wondering how he had made any sense of what they were talking about.

Satine sighed, "I'm not, Rey is a time traveller from an alternate dimension."

There was a beat of silence as Rex exchanged a look with Cody.

Time travel?

Alternate dimensions?

Were those even real things? Sure, they hadn't seen much of the world outside the lab, but surely _time travel_ wasn't a common phenomenon.

But none of the outsiders blinked an eye at this statement.

Cody gave the slightest of shrugs.

Rey shook his head the tiniest of degrees.

So time travel was a thing.

The galaxy was weird.

"But that's not why we are here," Satine said, "We're here to break you out."

"Well, you picked a good day for it, the Jedi are trying to negotiate for our release," Driodbait said.

Rey grinned, "They are the distraction."

Satine also smiled, "When I got your message, I asked the Jedi for help. Five Jedi Masters, two talented Padawans, myself, and three Mandalorian warriors is a bit overkill, I know, but we want to get all of you out of here with no casualties and no one left behind."

Rex let out a long breath, he had thought that Master Koon was a fool when he said he wasn't going to pay for them. Only now did he realize the Jedi Master had meant he was going to risk his life not just to save them but to help end all forms of slavery in the galaxy.

And these were the people who the Chancellor wanted them to kill?

"Do you have a plan of escape?" Rey asked them.

"I thought you were here to rescue us?" Appo retorted.

She shrugged, "I was a slave once, plotting my escape was what kept me going some days."

Cody nodded, "Many of our brothers are already on the Ventra Star Destroyers, they are the only ships big enough to get us all away from Kamino."

Rex added, "Our original plan required some of us to stay behind and cause a big enough distraction."

"Oh, we have that covered," Rey said.

He shook his head, "There was one part we never figured out, we have disable the shields on the hangars to get the ships out. We thought of taking the canons to the rim of the shields, but-"

"But that could injure the ship," Harris said.

"Or cut off your escape route entirely," Chakraborty, the Karking Prime Minister of Mandalore, said.

"How do we shut down the power?" Satine, the Kriffing Duchess of Mandalore, asked.

"They have backup generators," Gregor said, "if you pull one plug it will just transfer to the next."

"How many backups do they have?" Master Badass Maas asked.

"Fourteen," Hawk answered.

"We won't have time," Rey said. "What about overloading their system?"

"You mean a power surge?" Cody asked.

She nodded, "Too much power will malfunction most backup systems as most switches activate if there is no power. On most systems it would give us a few minutes."

"Maybe," Cody said, "But where are you going to get that kind of power?"

She smiled, "Leave that to me."

Harris rolled his eyes, "Cheat."

"You call it cheating, I call it physics."

"Just because you use magic to cause physics to happen does not make it any less cheating, Foundling," Harris retorted.

"I am not a foundling."

"No, you're _our_ founding, grandchild," Maas said.

Satine ignored them all as she said, "Alright, we need someone to take us to the power central while everyone loads onto the Star Destroyers."

"If the Long Necks stop you, say it was a command from General Plo," Rey told them.

Rex suppressed a smile at her using the same nickname they had so honourably bestowed upon their creators.

"Rex and Fives will take you," Cody said.

Chakraborty nodded, "Harris, Satine, and I will go with your men. We are not leaving anyone behind, but you two might have to leave on the Jedi transports."

Cody saluted him, then he spoke into their coms.

It really was a perfect set up, every man among them was waiting for the call to the ships, and short of shackling them, nothing was going to stop them.

So when Cody gave the call to clear out, every brother put on their helmet and shouldered their weapons.

And no, the weapons weren't supposed to leave the gyms.

But like Rey had said, they had been planning their escape for some time now.

Rex and Fives took off at a near sprint.

Neither Rey nor Maas had the slightest difficulty keeping up with them, even if Rex's old helmet was on the large side for the Padawan.

Rey was the first to fire a stunner at a Long Neck.

"Will that set off an alarm?" Maas asked as they pressed forward.

"No," Fives said, "the one from breaking curfew is already flaring somewhere."

Rex halted and caught Rey's arm before she could pass.

Fives and Maas had already halted.

Together they listened to the soft tread of the Long Necks as they spoke, "Someone needs to turn off the alarms, the human clones are sold."

Maas whispered under his breath, "Well aren't they going to be disappointed?"

After another minute, they docked into the white corridor. Rex had never been out past curfew, and he thought it would be harder to sneak around, but as it happened the Kaminoins lowered the checkpoints at night.

Foolish of them. For such smart creatures, they had glaring blindspots.

When they finally reached the energy room, they found 99 frowning at the controls, two unconscious Long Necks at his feet.

"99!" Fives exclaimed, "What are you doing here? You need to get on the transports."

99's aged face turned to him with a smile, "I never expected to get off of Kamino, and neither will any of you if we can't turn off the energy shields."

"Where's the first primary charge?" Rey asked as she raised her hand at one of the panelled walls and with invisible hands ripped the metal clean off.

99 gaped at her, "Jedi?"

She took off her helmet and smiled at him, "Yes, Sir."

99 blinked at her, then smiled back and pointed to one of the coils glowing white bluish purple, "That's the main one, but the backups…"

"Captain, what's the status of the evacuation?" Rey asked.

Rex radioed Cody from his helmet, "Five minutes and everyone will be accounted for except for you two, Wolffe and his squad as well as 99."

"We have 99," Rex told him, before repeating the information to Master Maas and Rey.

"Tell him to start the engines," Maas said, "The rest of us will be going with the Jedi. We need his signal to cut the power."

Rex relayed the information, and five minutes later, they received the all clear.

"Everybody, get back," Rey said as she passed her helmet and blaster to Maas.

They got back and then they watched her crouch, bring her hand across her centre, two fingers and pointed at the energy coil.

And then something miraculous happened.

Lightning came out of the woman's hand as if a storm lived inside her.

Rex's vision was spotted even behind his mask as the light crashed into the energy coil, shimmering lines of electricity hung between her and her target. Her hair was floating, every hair on his own body was standing on end.

Then came the thunder.

And Rex was deafened as the world went black.

Maas was the first to activate his helmet light, Rex did too followed by Five. Maas turned on Rey's helmet light before passing it and her blaster to her.

99 was the only one without a light, but Five had an arm around their brother's waist.

"Can all Jedi do that?" Rex asked when he could hear the sound of his own footfalls.

"No, she's special," Maas answered.

"Actually," Rey said, "Ahsoka figured it out."

"Tano is thirteen," Maas growled at her.

"I keep telling everyone it's just physics, she's the only one to get it."

Rex refrained from commenting, between the lightning and the time travel, he wasn't sure what else he wanted to know about the greater galaxy and the Jedi.

When they got to the greeting rooms they ran into absolute mayhem. The lights had come back on and an announcement was playing declaring the four renegade Star Destroyers had left orbit.

Rex had known that theoretically, the Long Necks had other species of clones. He hadn't expected that to translate to about a thousand genetically modified Trandoshan super soldiers. He stared down at the mayhem below them, six Jedi with glowing swords against crocodilian faced monsters, more than likely bred to kill Jedi.

The Long Necks had a theme to their choices.

Maas changed the gears on his blaster with a snick, "And this is why I love going out to play with the Jedi."

Rey took off her helmet, throwing it to the ground as she whistled.

Master Kenobi put a hand behind himself, a long staff of metal came to his hand as if on a string from a bag on the floor before he whipped it up to their level. Rey caught it with ease.

"99, Sir, if you would wait here, we just need to clear a path for you," Rey said to their brother.

99 blinked at her, and didn't have time to answer as she ignited her staff into a dual bladed saber and backflipped into the mass of bodies, lightsaber staff spinning.

"I made her that," Maas said proudly, and Rex could hear the smile in his voice.

"We need to help them," Fives said, making his way toward the stairs, but Maas called him back.

"We are more good to them sniping. Trandoshans are cowards, they can't win against this many skilled Jedi Knights with a frontal attack.  
"They are badly outnumbered," Rex said as he began shooting at the reptilian heads. But even as he spoke, he saw the Jedi shift from defence to the attack. He also noticed that the Long Necks had not stuck around to watch.

Rex set his visor to recording because by all that breathed in the galaxy was what he saw, something his brothers needed to see.

Ahsoka, the youngest, Master Kenobi, and Rey were like butterflies of chaos as they flitted through their enemies ranks, avoiding blaster fire and taking off heads. The other Jedi Masters fought closer to what he had seen of Jedi in holograms, but by that marker, these people were still insane. They fought with such elegance, no motion wasted, no blow hitting them.

About half way through the fight, Master Kenobi fell back to guard the older Jedi Masters against blaster fire as they laid waste to Trandoshans.

It was over before Rex could really come to terms with everything that was happening.

"Let's go," Maas said.

"You got it, Master Maas, Sir," Fives said, putting a shoulder under 99's to help him walk faster.

"_Master Maas?"_ 99 repeated.

Maas put his arm around their senior brother as well, "Yes, Sir."

Rex felt joy at the sense of respect that both Rey and Maas was showing their brother.

There was being rescued, and then there was joining a people.

"Is that everyone?" Master Jinn asked.

"Thieves!" Lama Su shouted at them.

"Slaver!" Ahsoka bellowed back with the same type of outrage.

Maas pointed a blaster at the head Long Neck, "Haven't you heard that the Jedi have declared war on slavers and that Mandalore has joined them?"

Lama Su sneered, "You owe us a debt of three hundred thousand men and the equipment they stole with them."

"We owe you nothing," Master Koon said, "And by my count, it is three hundred thousand and one men we freed today." And the Kel Dor bowed to 99.

99 was still blushing when they got him on the Jedi fighter ship.

oOo

They all went to Mandalore, but the 101st Regiment, the 501st Legion, the 104th Battalion, and 99 returned to Serreno with the Jedi. Rex had originally feared separating, but it was different being able to choose their parting.

And it wasn't as if they would never see each other again or couldn't call to talk to one another.

Although Rex knew that Serreno was nothing at all like Coruscant, he had still expected a grand Temple.

Instead, they arrived on a planet of natural wonders, of fields of grass and wildflowers, of mountains, of dense forests, of streams, of lakes, of oceans, a planet that had small cities and even smaller towns.

And the home of the Jedi was neither a Temple, a lab, nor a palace, but a campground.

And when Rex laid down at night it was not the underside of a bunk with the claustrophobic wiggle room of a coffin, but an open sky with the stars of the galaxy glittering above him and his brothers.

This, _this_, was what it meant to be free.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, dandelions, or reviews, pretty please?


	40. A Fond Farewell

**EPILOGUE: **Added at the end. I apologize but this story ends because I feel like I was trying harder than the published movies and it was depressing me.

* * *

**I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing **is the alternative ending to this story.

* * *

**If You Like This Story: **_The Kenobi Scandal, Significant Brain Damage, The Making of Mavericks, Return of the Father, _and coming soon, _The Darkness Between the Stars._

* * *

**Beta:** _Nauze _the amazing dude saving my ass, many, many thanks for the last chapter edit!

Chapter 40 - A Fond Farewell

Obi-Wan at first had been happy to get a call from Padme. She had been rather busy since being elected as Naboo's first Queen in the New Nubian Royal Family. She and the Prime Minister, Apailana had been working almost non-stop as Naboo shifted from being a Republic planet to independence.

Chancellor Palpatine had not been making that transition easy. Naboo was almost blacklisted for Republic planets.

Of course, the Republic crumbled more and more every day, and mere months after the Jedi had left the Republic, the alliances between planets were falling apart and, as more systems demanded more of the central government and the government failed to deliver even the most necessary of supplies, more planets became Separatists. Although, the Separatist movement itself had disassembled and planets which left the Republic, often aligned themselves with no one.

Ironically, Serreno was still a Republic planet, mostly so Dooku and the Council could attend Senate meetings and to give the Order time to stabilize within their new dynamics rather than try to help everyone in the Outer Rim and the systems that had jumped ship.

Though Obi-Wan wasn't exactly comfortable allowing so many systems to suffer, it had been explained to him by many of the Masters that in order for so many independent planets to be viable, they would need to find their own way before receiving outside help, lest the Jedi be branded as conquerors.

Nonetheless, when Padme called him personally, he had answered.

But the personal call ended in staring down at a corpse.

Ahsoka crossed her arms and squatted on the balls of her feet to examine the body, "Nope, I got nothing. This doesn't make any sense."

Obi-Wan frowned down at the corpse as well, "There is no advantage to doing this." He looked at Padme, "When was the last time you spoke to him?"

Padme hugged herself, she was currently in her handmaiden uniform and looking down at what had once been her fiance and groom, and was now butterfly food.

Ahsoka stared at the butterflies feasting on Palo's innards, making a rather macabre image on the edge of a beautiful lake vista.

"I didn't know butterflies were carnivorous," Ahsoka muttered.

"We haven't spoken since we called off the marriage," Padme said, finding her voice. "I told him I wanted to run for the election of a sustained monarchy. But he didn't want that, he didn't want to be Prince Consort, and he made me choose. I chose my career, he left."

"Which means there is no reason to kill him," Obi-Wan said.

"My family is under guard now, Palo was the only person close to me who was vulnerable," she said.

Ahsoka shook her head, "Yeah, but who would gut this dude with a lightsaber just to hurt you?"

Panaka glared at her as Obi-Wan chastised, "Padawan, word choices."

She gave them an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I just meant, this doesn't make any sense."

"I already checked the logs," Obi-Wan said. "No one in the Order was even in the vicinity of Naboo."

"Which means either a Dark Sider or thief did this," Ahsoka said.

"What about one of the Dathomirians?" Panaka asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head, "No, none of the Dathomirian males would make a move like this without Maul's consent. And as Padme is Rey's friend, no."

"What about the female Dathomirians?" Panaka pressed.

Ahsoka shook her head, "Aside from Asajj Ventress, who is in the Order, none of them use lightsabers."

"Could they have stolen one from the males?" Panaka asked, unrelenting.

"Possible, but unlikely," Obi-Wan said. "Even if that were to happen, it wouldn't have gone unnoticed. Besides, what would be their reason for killing Palo, the Artist?"

"Yeah," Ahsoka agreed, "his art isn't _that _bad."

Obi-Wan bit back a smile, even Padme looked as if she wanted to laugh, but she was better at hiding her emotions.

Obi-Wan continued, "And assuming he died because of his past relationship with the Queen of Naboo, the Dathomirians have nothing to gain from this and Padme has no known enemies on Dathomir."

"What about Rey Palpatine?" Panaka asked, saying her last name as a curse.

Obi-Wan frowned at him, "Rey is Mother Talzin's daughter-in-law and Darth Maul's mate, I can assure you that no Dathmirian would have cause to hurt Padme on account of getting at Rey."

"Then who does that leave?" Panaka asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head, "I don't know, someone who fell from the Order, someone trained by Maul's old master, or, what is most likely the case, someone who acquired a lightsaber on the black market."

"So you have no clue."

"We aren't chief of security," Ahsoka said, coming to stand by Obi-Wan's side, "You are. Do you have any leads?"

Panaka's lips thinned, and he said tersely, "No, not yet."

Padme's shoulders rounded, "It couldn't have been the Chancellor, he was on Coruscant when it happened."

"It might still be his doing," Obi-Wan ventured, "but it seems, and forgive me, but somewhat petty. Palo, as you said, had little security, he was an easy mark, but there is no benefit to this. If it hadn't been death by lightsaber, I would think it a common murder."

"Murder is not common," Panaka said.

Padme shook her head, "Captain, please. They are here to help at my request."

Obi-Wan tried to give her a comforting smile, "I'm afraid, Padme, that all Ahsoka and I can do at this point is assist the police. And there isn't much to go on. Our insights might not be terribly useful."

She nodded, "I'm sorry for calli-"

"Nonsense," Obi-Wan cut her off, touching her arm briefly, "We are friends, I'm glad you called."

Padme nodded, "In that case, I must insist you stay the night and have dinner with my family and I. The Queen's suite has been renovated to be a much more intimate space than the last time you were there. There will be no need to stand a ceremony."

Panaka stiffened, "Your Majesty, I don't thin-"

Padme cut him a hard look, "After you have escorted us back to the palace, Captain, you may deliver the information the Jedi have imparted us with to the detectives on this case."

"They didn't have anything to tell us," he protested.

Padme met his gaze directly, "They told us who it wasn't, and that is more than we knew before with any certainty."

Panaka bowed at the neck, "Of course, my Lady."

oOo

Dinner was pleasant, and Ahsoka got on well with Padme's older sister, Sola and the handmaidens, but Obi-Wan was worried when he walked Padme back to her room.

Having been one of her bodyguards for some years, he could tell that she seemed deeply conflicted about something, and he wondered if she knew something about Palo.

"Come in for a moment?" she asked at the door.

He nodded, following her into the airy room, and checking the space more out of habit than actually sensing any danger.

"Do you think it's safe to stand on the balcony?" she asked.

He scoffed, "I'm with you, of course you're safe."

Then he flushed when he realized how ridiculous he sounded.

But Padme laughed, taking his hand, he laced his fingers with hers as she led him to the balcony, the light of torches and stars decorating the night.

His heart was in his throat as he thought she looked more beautiful now than she had on her wedding day.

Staring down into her honeyed eyes, he longed to tell her all that he felt. But now was not the time to confess his feelings for her, she was grieving for her ex-fiance.

As if hearing his thoughts, she said, "I feel terrible about what has happened to Palo."

He nodded, "You loved him, even-"

"No," she cut him off, squeezing his hand, "I mean, yes, I did love him, but I feel terrible because…" her voice trailed off and she sighed before continuing, "because if he was supposed to be a man I was married, I should be grieving him right now. But I'm not. I'm sad that he was murdered, of course I am. But I'm not heartbroken like I should be."

"Grief is a funny thing," he said, "It doesn't always happen like we expect it to."

"Or maybe," she said, glancing toward the lake that was so still, it reflected the stars. "Or maybe, I never loved him the way I should have."

Obi-Wan reached out to her with his free hand, touching her cheek, but before he could say anything, she met his gaze and stole his breath away.

"Not like I love you, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

He didn't know how to answer that, not when what he really wanted to say was that he was grateful her wedding had been disrupted by an evil cyborg, and that she hadn't married another man.

Because he loved her too.

So instead, he bent and kissed her lips as gently as he had ever kissed a woman before.

She let go of his hand to reach up to his face and kissed him as fiercely as he had ever been kissed before.

When they pulled back, their bodies pressed to each other, Obi-Wan found his words, "I love you too, Padme Amidala."

She smiled, bright and clear, all traces of worry and sorrow washed clean away. She looked like a girl with not a single responsibility in the world, even if she still held herself like a queen.

"I love you," he said again, because it was the truth, because in that moment, it was all he was feeling.

She pulled him down for another kiss as she said, "I've waited years for you to see me."

"I always saw you, Padme, I've always admired you, but I must admit that it wasn't until these recent years that I realized this admiration had turned to loving you for all that you are."

She wrapped herself around him, "Stay the night?"

He held her back, "I'll stay as long as you want me to."

Obi-Wan did return to Serreno with Ahsoka the next day, but in the months that followed, he returned to Naboo often to help with the 'security' of the new monarchy.

* * *

Qui-Gon took a great deal of delight in announcing Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's sins against the Republic and the Kaminoan clones in open Senate. Dooku, Obi-Wan, Rey, Ahsoka, Wolffe, Sinker, Rex, Appo, and Fives were at his back.

"So, to summarize," Qui-Gon said, "Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, nine years ago, used private funds to create a clone army, which by the Galactic Republic laws, would fall under human trafficking and slave trade, while also sewing the seeds for the Separatist movement. By supporting both sides, he fuelled the corruption of the Senate, such as his exploits of Trade Federation during the Naboo Crisis, with the express goal of scraping together power for himself. His attempts to start a galactic civil war would have given his seat emergency powers, and the clone army he would have tried to turn on the Jedi."

Protests arose, but judging by how red Sheev's face was, not nearly enough.

Duchess Satine called out from her platform, "For his crimes against my people, his own people, and the galaxy, I call for a vote of no-confidence."

Qui-Gon smiled as a ripple went through the Senate, and the vote against him was unanimous.

Yet Dooku scoffed at the male they chose in his place, retired head of one of the most prominent holders of the IBC, the Muun whose platform came forward would become one of the very few non-human Chancellors of the Galactic Republic in known history.

A call rang around the Senate chamber that was missing a third of its representatives, "Supreme Chancellor Hego Damask!"

It wasn't the greatest of news, but as they were leaving, a Coruscanti policeman handed Dooku a warrant of arrest, giving custody of Sheev Palpatine to Serreno, signed by the new Chancellor.

Dooku drawled, "Well finally, the Senate elected someone with some common sense."

* * *

Sidious was shaking, this couldn't be happening, this _could not_ be happening.

"Traitor," Sidious hissed at the Muun who walked into his office.

Plagueis smiled, "Business, just business. Honestly, I had not realized that it was so many of the supposed 'moral' planets of the Core preventing a non-human from attaining the Chancellorship, or perhaps, they simply voted a Muun in because they were feeling guilty about their corruption. Trying to make a good appearance and whatnot." Plagueis ran a long finger over his desk, "Regardless, you're sitting in my chair. Get out."

Sidious snarled at him as he stood, "It was you who made the clones. When I tell-"

"It was I who stopped their production. It was clear to me when you didn't achieve the Chancellorship, when your plot against your own planet failed, and when your apprentice failed to kill Master Qui-Gon Jinn that you were never going to be my equal."

"That's because I'm your superior."

Plagueis laughed, "We both know that isn't true. And even now, Qui-Gon Jinn approaches to deliver your death."

"What is your obsession with that man? He's nothing."

"He's everything, he was the shatterpoint, he was the point from which all possibilities began and ended. I would have killed him myself, but his part has been played. His apprentices are the pivotal ones now."

"You don't sound worried," Sidious noted as he retrieved his lightsabers from the statue.

"I'm not, destroying the Jedi is no longer my purpose, the Dark will triumph despite them. And I will enjoy watching them struggle against the inevitable, as they add to the chaos rather than counteract it."

It was Sidious's turn to scoff, "The Jedi Order has never been stronger, they are aligned with the Mandalorians."

"Mandalore is mine, they just don't know it yet."

Sidious glowered at him, but decided to play the game, "What is it you wish me to do, Master?"

"Die," Plagueis answered lazily as he sat behind Sidious's desk, "And I know how difficult it will be for you to succeed at anything, but do try to take a few of the Jedi out with you."

Sidious felt his eyes turn as the Dark consumed him, as he hissed, "Do not mistake me as one of your experiments-"

"My experiments are well underhand, it's yours you should be worried about. That girl, Rey Palpatine, I perceived her in the Force. She was the disturbance in the galaxy all those years ago. She is not your daughter, though genetically she is yours."

"What the hell are talking about?" Sidious asked, voice low as he opened himself to the Force.

He could feel the Jedi coming for him, there was no point left in hiding.

"You were cloned, the Force showed me that, as well as your plan to escape to Exegol with those sycophants who worship you."

Sidious froze, as his mind whirled. It was impossible for Plagueis to know that. His contacts were still formative, and his clones…

He had nothing that even remotely resembled a vessel yet.

Plagueis leaned back in his seat, "Oh yes, I did find them, and they work for me now, and there will be no clones waiting for you, this is your one and only body. Your one and only life, and you will die in it. Like the failure and disappointment that you are."

Sidious, however, had honed in on the information his Master had just gifted him with, as he remembered how easy it had been to drain her life away as she had tried to heal him, "The girl-"

"Yes," Plagueis interrupted him, "I suppose you could take the girl, your daughter, your granddaughter, the daughter of a clone, but you will fail in that too. I have foreseen it. She will not come to you alone, and as powerful as she is, that is her true danger. She isn't stupid enough to try to kill you on her own."

Sidious had had enough of being talked to like this, "I am your apprentice!"

Plagueis laughed, "I replaced you eight years ago. You are nothing. That girl means more to me now. A Force sensitive born from a non-Force Sensitive clone of a human with an unprecedented midi-chlorian count? Her genetic makeup should prove most riveting. I cannot wait to take her apart, cell by cell."

"If she comes against me, I will kill her."

Plagueis shook his elongated head, "Your death is inevitable, while her life is destined to be long. The end of her life will be as her true father's began, in a lab, preserved and kept breathing for the benefit of the Sith."

Sidious snarled, as he turned away. He would not die, he could not be killed, and Plagueis was wrong. The daughter of a clone was nothing, just a body as disposable as any other clone.

Yet, as he made his way to his private ship, he felt the Jedi closing on him.

They caught up with him in the underground hangar, a cavernous space below the Senate building, with nothing but maintenance and security droids to keep the Senate building from being accessible by the lower-levels.

He turned on the dock, the cold breeze of the cavern swept his hair upwards, the greenish-blue light of space casting everyone in sickly light.

"Jedi, how brave you are to greet me, five to one," he crooned to them without turning.

He breathed in deeply, taking the Force in his grasp, ripping it from the air around him, and as the Force itself writhed in agony, he directed its pain toward the weakest link as he turned.

But the little Togruta surprised him, her own lightning greeting his with a low rumbling, as if it were natural lightning and not conjured from the Force.

And then he had to use both hands as another bolt of lightning came at him from the clone's daughter.

Count Dooku put a hand on the Togruta's shoulder as she began to waver, and then it was Sith lightning against Sith lightning as the Padawan collapsed into the Count's free arm.

Darth Sidious laughed, they were on the defensive, and already they would be down two marks.

The Count folded his tall body around the Togruta as they rolled away, Qui-Gon Jinn taking his place, merely absorbing the lightning with his green lightsaber.

"Dooku, get her out of here!" Kenobi called out to the man.

Sidious smiled as he let his lightning fade as the Count retreated with the Padawan, "And there goes your best duelist."

The clone's daughter, the little pest who had destroyed his career with her lies, snorted, "Hardly, Obi-Wan is the duelling champion of the Order nowadays."

He sneered at her, "I'm honoured."

Then he threw himself at Jinn, spinning as he used the Force to propel him.

Jinn barely had time to bring his saber up as he backed up with hurried steps. He was saved by his own Padawans coming at Sidious with a lightsaber Form that Sidious had never seen before.

Which was absurd, because he knew them all. But this? It was like trying to slice through air.

As he tried to kill them, Jinn called out, "Darth Sidious, I meant to kill you myself but you don't seem to be posing much of a threat to my apprentices."

Sidious roared as he Force pushed Kenobi over the dock, the clone's whelp dove after him. And he sprinted toward the famed maverick Jedi, both of his sabers humming in his hands, "I should have disposed of you years ago." He brought his sabers crackling down Jinn's green blade.

Jinn grunted at the impact, and Sidious drove him back.

The Jedi Master would be dead in mere heartbeats.

Sidious spun, sabers raised as the Force hissed a warning at him.

Sidious snarled as red blades met red, "Fool, I am your Master. You know nothing I have not taught you."

Darth Maul bared his teeth, "You are Master of nothing, _Sheev._"

Sidious roared as he attacked and Maul… went on defence?

He was using the same technique Kenobi and 'his' spawn had been using.

"What is this?" he asked as Maul worked side by side with the Jedi Master. Their techniques were different, yet they worked together as if they were dance partners.

Maul growled at him, "Shono-Mii, the Eighth form, Kenobi invented it."

"Shono-Mii," Sidious mocked, having to rely heavily on Form VII as he tried to break through their defences, Jinn was losing momentum, but Maul seemed unchecked by gravity. "What way is this to fight?"

"The Way of the Butterfly," Rey said as she came over Maul's shoulder, their dual bladed sabers mirroring each other, two blue and two red streaks, as Jinn fell back and Kenobi came at Sidious from behind.

Maul roared as he pressed the attack, Rey and Kenobi preventing Sidious from any means of escape.

And as Sidious fought, he felt the Force slip from his grasp. Rey and Kenobi were blinding lights, attracting the Force's favour like moths to flame, but Maul…

It was his own once Apprentice who surprised Sidious the most. He had reared this child, made him everything that he was.

But he had changed, the Force had changed him.

He wasn't a Jedi nor was he a Sith.

The Dathomirian Zabrak with red and black skin, his eyes a furious amber, was an extension of the Force.

He was not wielding the Force as Sidious was, nor was he the Force's weapon as the Jedi sometimes allowed themselves to become as they passively gave themselves to it.

No, Darth Maul had somehow become not the Force's agent but its voice.

And even as Darth Sidious attempted to kill those around him, he knew he had already lost.

* * *

The four of them worked in tandem. Obi-Wan had known in theory that through Rey, he and Qui-Gon shared a Force bond with Maul, but it wasn't until now, when they fought beside one another against a single opponent that he realized the extent of those bonds.

Nor the strength it offered them.

Obi-Wan's mind had never been clearer as he flitted on the currents of the Force, his single blade disrupting the patterned attack that Darth Sidious, the yellow-eyed fallen Chancellor, was building against Maul and Rey.

Master, Master, Apprentice, Apprentice, it didn't matter the nature of the bonds, the Force saw them as equals, as connected, and Obi-Wan was almost sure that if Dooku and Ahsoka had been meditating while they were like this, they would have been able to see and feel what they did.

Qui-Gon wasn't even exchanging blows with the Sith Lord, but still, his presence made them that much stronger, his attention on the fight, even as bystander gave the three of them greater perspective and focus on their opponent.

Shono-Mii was limited in the same way that Soresu was, in that it wasn't aggressive enough to kill their opponent swiftly even if they were out matching them.

Darth Sidious was strong enough to have killed any one of them individually. But he had neither the endurance nor the strength to so much as scratch them when they were working together.

Obi-Wan feigned a stumble, going so far as to throw a bit of fear into the Force. Darth Sidious followed it like a shark tasting blood in the water. But as Obi-Wan allowed himself to fall backward, Rey knelt on one, greeting Darth Sidious's heart with her saber staff.

Obi-Wan watched the surprise, the anger, and then the fear sweep over Darth Sidious's face in the brief moment before Maul came in from behind to relieve Sidious of his head.

Obi-Wan offered Rey a hand up as she stood, the adrenaline of the fight making them both a little unsteady on their feet.

Maul, however…

"Don't you think decapitation is enough?" Qui-Gon asked as Maul proceeded to hack away at Sidious's corpse.

Literally slicing it into tiny pieces.

"He's," Maul said between strikes, "a-" slash, "Sith," slash, "Lord," slash, "overkill," slash, "is," slash, "necessary."

So they watched, and waited. Rey who was leaning against Obi-Wan as she remarked, "I shouldn't be enjoying this."

Qui-Gon shrugged, "If anyone in the galaxy deserved this-"

"Master Maul," Captain Rex called as he approached, "need a hand?"

Maul finally stepped back from the mutilated remains of his old Sith Master. He looked at the clone trooper and bowed his head.

Obi-Wan couldn't see Rex smile as he was wearing his helmet, but he had no doubts as to the Mando's state of being as he ignited a flame thrower and torched Sheev Palpatine's remains.

"Dare I ask where you got a flame thrower?" Obi-Wan asked drily.

"Master Maas," Fives answered for him.

"How did you get it past security?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Duchess Satine," Appo answered.

Rey smiled, "I love my family."

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon each put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her between them.

The Dathomirian Zabrak smiled at them all over the flaming corpse of Darth Sidious, "I killed my Master, I am truly a Sith Lord now."

Rey laughed.

* * *

Rey Palpatine became the first Jedi Padawan to be knighted beneath the Serreno night sky.

And as the sabers of the Jedi Council ignited around her, Master Jinn stepping back to allow Obi-Wan the honour of removing her Padawan braid, she finally felt that she was home.

* * *

Epilogue - A Legacy of the Force

Some say that there is no death, there is only the Force where there are others who would like to believe that with the Force there is no death.

The reality is that the Force is reality, it is all and it is nothing. It is as much the stars as the darkness between them.

Rey's parents were not a part of the visible threads of this fabric, and yet, they remained as the light from dead stars, warmth and light provided eons after existence, time long since passing them by.

Grandmaster Rey Palpatine's first Jedi was Princess Leia Organa. Rey became the teacher of the would-have-been Rebel General who made her believe that the galaxy was bigger than any darkness could overcome. Leia being the hurricane of this story to Rey's butterfly. Leader of the Jedi Order of Serreno, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's first daughter was named Reyna Amidala Kenobi.

As to the story of how Queen Padme Naberrie Amidala found herself briefly married to a Sith Lord to save her planet from Darth Sidious's spite, post-decapitation, and bore, to her great worry, twin Skywalker children, and then was subsequently rescued by Master Qui-Gon Jinn who used a ploy of faking his own death.

It is important at this moment to say that Qui-Gon used a rather clever line in answer to Padme saying in the midst of escaping her palace on Mustafar, "The Queen would not approve of your sacrifice." To which Qui-Gon would have responded with the line this entire fanfiction was leading up to, with a cheeky smile on a suspiciously smooth face, "The queen does not need to know." All of that other story being a part of an epic series of events that had a Mandalorian army teaming up with a massive Jedi strike team, as well as Dathomirians, to defeat a Sith Dyad. Ending on Darth Vader getting slain by his trusted advisor, (Qui-Gon Jinn/Anakin redemption death arch). Well, that is another story ;D And one that ended with Obi-Wan and Padme finding each other again, but this time, living happily ever after with long and fulfilling (if chaotic and infuriating to everyone who ever opposed them) lives.

For Mandalorian Ahsano Kenobi and Clone Ishaan Palpatine, they could not have been more proud of their daughter nor the song the Force chose to sing.

* * *

End of Act II: Daughter of a Clone

* * *

AN: So **this is** now** the** new **_official ending_** and everything beyond this point is Outtakes. Frankly the more I get into Legends, the more the sequels depress me. So unless Disney pulls a rabbit out of its bantha-arse and makes the Sequels make some semblance of canonical sense, then this is where this story ends.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way!


	41. Draft: Cue the Orchestra

**WARNING!:** What Follows is outtake materiel that will mostly be cannibalized by other fics. The Disney Sequels have just depressed me to the point where I don't have the energy to finish this. The Mandalorian is proof that we could have had better and George Lucas being like, "Oh, Leia, would have been High Chancellor of the New Republic and the Chosen One." So at this point, somebody needs to be paying me to write in the sequel area because oh my dear Force, what could have been...

* * *

8 Months Later - 22 BBY

* * *

Obi-Wan was nervous as he walked through the halls of the Nubian palace, for once, Ahsoka hadn't accompanied him on this trip, though he was due to meet up with them on Coruscant in two days because of an open Senate meeting that would decide the fate of the crumbling Republic.

After nearly a year and after half of the Republic systems being on their own with little aid from the Jedi, many systems were looking to rejoin the Republic.

Even Padme was considering it as despite Darth Sidious being dead, the economic damage he had managed to inflict on Naboo had still been crippling. And while the Jedi Order was more unified and more spiritually balanced than it had ever been in Grandmaster Yoda's memory, their ability to help other systems stabilize wasn't there yet.

Yet for Obi-Wan personally, the last eight months had been some of the happiest of his life, between training Ahsoka, who was a challenging student but whose growth was incredible to be a part of, and his growing relationship with Padme…

Life had never seemed so bright.

When he knocked on the archway to her rooms, Padme startled from her seat with an undignified yip.

He laughed.

She threw a pillow at him, "Don't you dare laugh at me! You didn't tell me you were coming."

"Well, if you want me to leave-"

Her scowl morphed into a protest, and still laughing he swept her into his arms and kissed her.

He was so in love with her that kissing her felt like drinking liquid starlight.

Her honeyed eyes were bright as they parted, "You're certainly in high spirits today, Master Kenobi."

"I'd tell you that today you are especially beautiful, but today has no reflection on the status of your eternal beauty."

She flushed.

He wasn't much of a poet, but she was, and he had learned that even making an effort with flowery language made her happy.

So he made the effort.

He led her to the balcony where they had first kissed, the sunlight setting all the different tones of her hair into dazzling strands and turning her eyes into tawny gold.

"Obi-Wan-"

He knelt before her and pulled a ring box from his robes. The ring itself was white-gold, but the gem was petrified wood from the Nubian rain-forest. Her father had been a carpenter, and judging by the way her eyes alighted on the stone, she recognized it.

"Obi-Wan…" she tried again, but he squeezed her hand.

"I really do wish I had been a poet for you, but Padme Amidala, I have only these words to offer you. You are the strongest, most courageous woman I ever met, and I love you more than there are stars in the galaxy, would you do me the inexorable honour of becoming my wife?"

She started crying then, "Oh, Obi-Wan-"

He stood, "Don't cry, it's alright." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

But she pushed back from him, the tears spilling over, "No, Obi-Wan… it isn't alright."

He took a step back, "Padme?"

She shook her head, before swallowing hard and saying in a single breath, "Obi-Wan, I'm engaged to someone else."

He took another step back from her as he felt his own expression shut down, "I don't understand."

"Obi-Wan, please, I meant to tell you-"

"But what?" he asked, unable in that moment to give his emotions to the Force, so he shoved them down. He shoved them down deep where he could take them out later, watch them bleed.

Later.

She shook her head, "This wasn't about you, or us, it was-"

"Was what?" he asked, voice sharp, "I wasn't gone more than a few weeks this time."

She reached out to him as her tears continued to fall, "I wasn't- It wasn't like that. I've been only with you, I swear it. I swear that to you, Obi-Wan, that I haven't been with anyone else but you."

"But you're marrying someone else," he said low, and this time he had to aggressively shove down the emotions.

"Yes, for Naboo. It's an arrangement, a political marriage. He means nothing to me but the food he can provide for my people's tables."

Obi-Wan felt himself detach from the moment then.

He couldn't be mad at her for that.

Duty before attachment.

That's what the Council had told him when he asked for permission to marry.

Duty before attachment.

He nodded, "I understand."

She let out a sob, "I'm so, so sorry, Obi-Wan. I would have said yes."

He bowed to her, "I wish you joy and fulfilment, Padme Amidala. I hope you find happiness and that your people know peace. May the Force be with you."

"Wait, Obi-Wan-"

But he was turning away from her, he was already leaving.

It hurt too much to stay.

He needed to deal with this heartbreak and he couldn't deal with it when seeing and feeling her sorrow was tearing him apart, even when she was the one saying goodbye.

It wasn't her fault.

She might have told him sooner, might have given him some warning.

But he loved her, and this farewell would have hurt all the same.

He wasn't brave enough to look back as she called his name.

oOo

Obi-Wan managed to get himself under some semblance of control by the time he re-grouped with others on their ship.

But predictably, Rey found him when instead of meditating, he had retreated to his bunk early.

She laid down beside him. "You can fool Master Jinn," she said, "but you can't fool me, what's wrong?"

He said nothing.

Rey waited a bit before stating, "It's Padme, isn't it."

He sighed, then sighed again before turning on his side to look at her, "Yes."

She kept her gaze on the ceiling, granting him a surprising bit of privacy.

"You really love her, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes," he said softly, "I do."

"Obi-Wan, you should ask her, if you wanted-"

"I'm too late, she's marrying someone else."

"Wait, what?" she asked, turning to him, "But, Obi-Wan…"

He turned back to look up at the ceiling, his heart constricting. "Naboo has been hit hard in recent years, it's a political marriage, a new senator, he has the resources to save them."

"Credits? Surely it can't just be commerce, she's better that."

"No, not just credits, influence, power. Very powerful people are supporting him. I _may _have researched him some once I left. He has all the connections she needs to save her people."

Rey put an arm across his chest, her head on his shoulder, "I'm here, Obi-Wan, and I'm so, so sorry."

When he had been young, he had been told that the Jedi weren't supposed to fall in love. And if he had held onto that way of being, he wouldn't be heartbroken now.

But he couldn't regret his feelings for the queen who could be simultaneously the most beautiful woman in the room and still have the best aim with a blaster.

Her aggressive negotiations were as clever as her empathy for the galaxy was unfailing.

No, Obi-Wan could not regret his feelings for her developing into something that was more than friendship. Padme was a light in his world, and even if she was beyond his reach, he still admired her.

Obi-Wan hugged Rey, burying his face into her shoulder as he let his heart shattered.

oOo

Obi-Wan still felt a bit disconnected from the world as he sat with Rey, Ahsoka, Qui-Gon, Rex, Fives, Appo, and Dooku on the Serreno Senate platform.

A little absently, he said, "Rey, has our relationship changed at all since we discovered you're actually my granddaughter?"

"Aside from you feeling guilty about theoretically dying during a civil war in an alternative universe, no," she answered. Then smiled at him, her hazel eyes warm, "We've been family since the beginning."

The three clones exchanged looks, and Appo asked tentatively, "Um, I don't mean to be rude, but is the whole time travel business a normal thing throughout the galaxy?"

"No," everyone answered.

Qui-Gon smiled, "Rey is the first time traveller anyone has ever been able to confirm."

Rex, Fives, and Appo let out sighs of relief.

"I didn't tell anyone for years," Rey said, "I thought I was crazy."

"That's because you are," Ahsoka told her with a smile.

Rey stuck her tongue out at her and Ahsoka giggled.

Obi-Wan was half smiling when he spotted the man's whose holoimagine he had been trying to purge from his mind into the Force for nights now. "That's him."

They all turned to look at the blue-eyed young man who stood proudly in his black finery, a long cape accenting his broad shoulders.

The younger man was taller than Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan wasn't in the habit of comparing himself to other men, least of all stuck up politicians. But he couldn't diminish this man's career that was as impressive as the woman's he was going to wed.

"That's the man Padme is going to marry," Obi-Wan said, "The Senator of Mustafar, Anakin Skywalker."

* * *

Orchestra: DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN, DAH, DUN, DUN, _Dun! Dah-Da-Dun da-dun, Dun-da-DUN!_

* * *

End of Act II: Daughter of a Clone

* * *

Readers: Where the kriff did Anakin go? Me: Wait for it. Just wait for it- _There._ He's right there, damnit! Imperial March :D


	42. Outtakes and Beyond this More Outtakes

Table of Contents

**The Queen Does Not Need to Know**

_Act I: The Will of the Force (32 BBY - 29 BBY)_

Chapter 1 - Pathetic Life Forms to Chapter 22 - A Change of Guard

_Act II: Daughter of a Clone (25 BBY - 22 BBY)_

Chapter 23 - Ahsoka Tano to Chapter 40 - Cue the Orchestra

_Final Chapter_ \- Outtakes

**I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing**

_Act I: Return of the Sith (19 BBY ~)_

_Act II: The Knights of the Living Force ( ~ 0 BBY)_

_Final Chapter - Epilogue and Bloopers_

* * *

WARNING: _**You do not need to read this chapter**_, but I thought this would be fun to share. It's the sort of things I know people put in youtube videos, podcasts, and for Patrons. I cannot thank the reviewers enough. Here's the inside scope on some of my musings.

* * *

AN: As I've been saying, I ended up writing many drafts for this story and snippets for chapters so far in advance that they no longer worked or were too crackish. So I hope these bring you some entertainment. The ones for **I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing** will be longer with much more crack and more epilogue snapshots that I can't include here because of spoilers ;D

* * *

Bonus Half Chapter 41 - Outtakes

AN: This one is one of my earliest drafts when this story was more centred on being a time travel than an AU. Rey was originally going to be able to sense Palpatine and assume he was a Jedi who had fallen from the Jedi Order.

oOo

'A Particular Peeved Alderaanian'

Rey half expected to see Master Yoda rounding the corner when she sensed such a power coming toward them. That power did night shine in her mind like a light as others did but like a darkling star.

"Rey," Master Jinn said, "This is the Senator from Naboo, Senator Palpatine."

Rey stiffened,

_Palpatine? As in Emperor Palpatine? _

She regarded the man closely, warily.

The man smiled at her kindly, too kindly as if they were friends, "Ah, you must be Padawan Rey, I have heard so much about you, and can I be so bold as to presume you've heard of me as well?"

_That name?_ Yes, she most certainly had heard it before, but the galaxy was large and if he was a Force user or a Jedi surely that would have been mentioned in the nightmares retold about the tyrant Emperor? Wouldn't it? Luke Skywalker being a Jedi had always been a big deal in the stories.

"I've heard of the name Palpatine, but I doubt it was you," she said, not able to even pretend to share his smile. Whether he was, or rather would b,e the Emperor or if he was just some unlucky soul in the galaxy to share that particular name, she didn't care. She didn't like this man.

"Oh," he said interestedly, "perhaps a family member of mine then?"

She shifted closer to Master Jinn who seemed unfailingly polite and respectful toward this man.

_Were they friends?_

She hoped not, as she answered coolly, "I think not, the Palpatine I knew of was an evil tyrant who died in a violent explosion. He made the unfortunate and interesting mistake of falling on the wrong side of a particular peeved Alderaanian."

Because the destruction of Alderaan had been the beginning of the end for their dear Emperor. Blown up in the second planet destroying monstrosity he thought to terrorize the galaxy with by Luke Skywalker, a pilot working for General Organa.

The Senator blinked at her, "Ah, well, I hope then that our meeting will remain in your memory more fondly than that."

Rey didn't say anything to this, and fought herself not to hide behind Master Jinn. She didn't know if it was the slim possibility that this might be _the_ Emperor, his Force power that sang to her like a discordant melody, or just the manner of focus his eyes watched her from, but she was disturbed by him.

How could Obi-Wan be so calm around him?

* * *

AN: I love Bail Organa and in the next part of _Significant Brain Damage _he will get a starring role as he gets to know both Luke and Leia. For this story, though his role is not as large, we will be seeing more of him.

oOo

'_The_ Senator Organa'

"Ah, Rey this is Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan."

"Organa?" She breathed in awe.

In her time, Alderaan had become memorialized as much more than simply 'that planet that blew up.' Maybe if it hadn't been one of the most prosperous and peaceful systems in the galaxy it wouldn't have been so, but Alderaan seemed akin to paradise in Rey's mind. And this man, Bail Organa, father of General Leia Organa, was in her assertation, on par with meeting Obi-Wan and Master Jinn for the first time.

The man smiled at her kindly, "You've heard of me, Padawan Rey?"

She bowed low at the waist, seeming to take all her companions by surprise when she rose. Ignoring them, she said, "Only the very best, it is an honour to meet Senator Organa."

He blinked at her, a hesitant smile forming on his lips, his dark eyes filling with mirth, "I do believe that is the warmest greeting I've ever received from a Jedi on a first encounter."

Rey waved that off, "They'll come around."

"How did you hear about Senator Organa on Tatooine?" Obi-Wan asked as if he couldn't help himself.

She grinned, "Alderaan has a certain reputation."

Interested, Bail asked, "Have you ever been?"

"Only in my dreams," she said regretfully. Wanting to live on a planet that had blown up she supposed wasn't healthy but this was _Alderaan_ they were speaking of.

"You should visit," Bail encouraged, "our system has always welcomed the Jedi."

She felt her excitement rise, Alderaan wasn't currently blown to smithereens, it was a real place just as she was a real Jedi. She looked up at Master Jinn hopefully.

He was looking at her with an expression somewhere between amused and thoughtful.

But before he could answer, Obi-Wan asked, "Rey, how can you admire Senator Bail Organa so much and dislike Senator Palpatine on some unknown principal? It isn't as if Alderaan and Naboo have such vastly different reputations."

She saw Master Jinn flinch and she realized that in their Master's eyes, they were both diplomatic disasters.

_Oh well._

Rey turned a frown on Obi-Wan, and said simply, motioning toward Bail, "Because Senator Organa is a lovely human being while Palpatine is the definition of creepy."

Honestly, she didn't understand why Obi-Wan or Master Jinn would so vehemently defend a Jedi who had fallen from the Order to play politics.

"Padawan!" came Master Jinn's sharp reprimand.

Bail Organa was laughing, "Oh, she's the latecomer. I think I will be requesting you three if and when Alderaan is need of Jedi aid. At the very least it would make negations less tedious." He winked at Rey, "Such candidacy is to be appreciated." He bowed to the three of them at the waist, with as much respect as she had shown him, "Well met Master Jinn, Padawans Rey and Kenobi. May the Force be with you."

"And with you," they chorused together, returning the bow.

When the representatives walked off, Master Jinn sighed heavily, pinching the arch of his nose, "It'll be another blue saber for you then, it seems my diplomacy skills are not matched by my abilities to pass on my knowledge to my Padawans."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Master," Obi-Wan said, "I think Rey just made us a new friend."

Master Jinn sighed again, "Making friends with politicians is a slippery slope."

"Most people who seek power are rotten," Rey said, "But a rare few are strong enough to not be corrupted because the desire for the well-being of others is stronger than anything else."

Master Jinn looked at her, "And you know Bail Organa is such a man, how?"

_Because he fathered Princess Leia_, but aloud she said, "The Force."

Obi-Wan coughed, "Cop out."

Rey lifted her chin, "Time will prove me right."

Master Jinn shook his head, "Time, my dear Padawan, will prove us all fools in the end. Come now, we have other _friends_ to make."

* * *

AN: So this was the Council's original response to Rey's Mando saber that fit with the two above sections.

oOo

'Not a Politician'

"So let us be clear," Mace stated in a long-suffering tone. "You, who have an inconsistent history with dealing diplomatically with various government officials, was somehow able to not just survive an encounter with a group of Mandolarions, but you were somehow able to work with them to complete a mission without causalities? A group of people I may add who have sworn themselves against the Jedi."

Rey crossed her arms, "I don't see why would align ourselves against a group whose main purpose, outside of tracking down criminals, is helping the defenceless and saving orphans."

"They are assassins," Mace said slowly.

"Well, they didn't assassinate anyone meaningful in front of me."

The Council sighed deeply.

* * *

AN: I had several variations for the seen Maul is revealed to the Council, including Qui-Gon being scandalized that his Padawan was having _sex_ with a Sith Lord. This is one that got close to the presses. But it was an early draft and some of these Council members were dead by the time I reached this chapter. Oppsie.

oOo

'He's a Sith Lord. Maul: No shit, Sherlock.'

She stiffened, "My loyalties are not divided. I never shared Jedi business with him."

"No, not even where you've been on your missions?" Mace asked.

"Aside from the few which I was specifically told to be a secret I thought where the Jedi went was public knowledge." Not that they were obliged to tell anyone, but they weren't secrets.

"You've formed attachments, you're compromised you should be stricken from the order," Adi Galia said.

She felt her Master and Obi-Wan stiffen but she beat them to it, her voice hard, cold. "I told him nothing that could have been used to hurt us."

"He could have hurt you."

"As anyone I knew could have, but I thought he was simply a powerful Force sensitive, the Force never warned me I was in danger from him."

Though she couldn't have said she hadn't known he was dangerous, but he was not the Sith Lord who had beaten her in her visions nor the truth behind the wraiths she had encountered on Ilum. Maul wasn't that.

"I told him nothing. I never brought him to the temple, I never-"

"You might have chosen him over us," Ki-Adi Mundi said, "he could have betrayed you, or he could have pushed you to fall to the Dark Side."

She pulled the comlink from her pocket and put in Maul's frequency. Her pulse was unsteady as he picked up.

His usual rough greeting loud enough for the room to hear, "Rey."

"Darth Maul."

He was silent for a moment, then he laughed, "Seven years, my little Jedi."

"So you are Sith?" she asked.

"No."

"Do not," she said coldly, burying the disappointment. Now was not the time for her to slip up with her shields and emotional control, "lie to me again."

"I was merely the apprentice. A Sith Lord I am not, as a Knight you are not."

"Zabrak, the Council knows of you," Mace Windu declared, and she thought his words came in her defence.

"You were brought before the Council because of me," Maul stated, ignoring Master Windu.

A spark of hope filled her, Maul didn't care about being revealed, he did care that she would get in trouble for it. His friendship was true, the Force bond between them as real as the one between herself and Obi-Wan.

"Maul-" she began, not knowing what she would say.

"Tried in front of the Jedi Council, you will be," Master Yoda interjected.

Again, Maul spoke to her, not to the Masters, "Fear not, Master Jinn's Padawan, being a Sith is not illegal, simply unhealthy."

"You will return to Coruscant, or a warrant shall be placed on your head," Master Windu said.

Maul was characteristically unphased, "For what? Breaking the Jedi Code?

"The Sith have sworn to destroy the Jedi." This from Master Jinn who had finally spoken.

"Yet I left your Padawan alive, Master Jinn, and I saved your Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite the opportunity, despite the bounty, my Master has placed on both their heads. In sparing Kenobi's life I am apprentice no longer."

* * *

AN: Sometimes I take out pieces of dialogue for the overall flow of the story. I know I tend to write chapter by chapter stories like episodes, but for this story, in particular, sacrifices must be made. But this scene is still canonical to _The Queen Does Not Need to Know._

oOo

'Jinn, You Motherfucker'

Rey loses her temper in front of the council, "This is why the Jedi die, this is why eighty years now no one believes you even existed."

Walks out, Obi-Wan follows, leaving Qui-Gon to face the Council.

He clears his throat, "I told she was from the future, right?"

Silence.

Yoda, "Tell us, you did not."

"Really, I'm sure I must have mentioned it."

Mace leans forward, "The hell you did."

"No, I must have told you, that seems like too big a thing to simply slip my mind."

Mace, "Jinn, you motherfucker."

Qui-Gon folds his hands in front of him respectfully, "No, I'm certain I told you. Don't you remember her last outburst about the clones, how would she have gotten that from a Force echo, hmm?"

Mace ground his teeth, "Yet you failed to inform the Council."

Dooku leaned back, "He informed me, and I told Sifo-Dyas."

Every other Council member turned their attention on Sifo-Dyas, and he raised his brows expectantly.

Mace nearly growled at him, "Sifo-Dyas."

The man stroked his thin beard, and Qui-Gon had the idle thought of why people, and by people he meant Dooku, never seemed to rebuke his long hair.

Maybe because it was sleeker and straighter than Qui-Gon's and possible more traditional of his people.

Sifo-Dyas shrugged, "What does it really matter? I see the future all the time, and I can say with absolute certainty that Rey's future no longer exists."

"But time travel!" Kit Fisto exclaimed.

Plo brought his fingers together, "But she didn't time travel herself, the Force itself pulled her. This was the Force's doing, not the act of any one individual. Therefore, the inexplicable possibility of time travel remains out of reach for any including ourselves. As Sifo-Dyas says, her future is gone, that she exists in our time stream now must means that she exists in the Force, that this is the Force's will."

"So we just move on?" Depa asked, "You realize that the Chosen One from the prophecy that Qui-Gon was so obsessed would be proven true? Not by Rey herself, but because if someone can exist out of time with the Force then it is no leap to say that child could be born from the Force."

Mace rubbed his face, "Why am I suddenly worried about a Chosen One?"

Mor smiled at him, "Because balance doesn't mean Light Side, does it?"

Fey hummed, "This is proof that the Force is sentient."

Mor snorted, "We really are a cult of a bunch of religious nut jobs."

Yoda pursed his lips, "True all this is."

* * *

AN: Chapter 37 - An Offering of Peace, had a lot of forethought, as in I've been actually dreaming about for nine months. I am not quite happy with how the chapter turned out but that is more to do with my health at the moment. Chapters like this are what I'm hoping to cultivate in my own novel.

oOo

'Attachment'

"We will not abandon our home."

Dooku scoffed, "Attachment to a thing, to a place, at the cost of lives, of our future. You did not protest the restrictions on families but this hunk of stone, you would die for?"

"The legacy of the Jedi lies not in this temple but the younglings, in your Padawans, in the Masters beside you. The archives, the medical equipment will, of course, be saved, but it is time the Jedi move on. The walls themselves cry out their history, the Sith died here long ago, we seek to ensure the Jedi do not find their ruin here also. That so many of you would object, only confirms the necessity," Mace Winduaddressed the assembled Jedi Masters. "Our Order is more than a temple, our beliefs are more than empty words."

Mace stepped up, "We must change as all living things do, but we will remain Jedi, no matter where in the galaxy we find ourselves."

Mutterings filled the room, but the Masters were cowed some more out of appearance to their attachments to the past, others registering what a move like this meant.

No longer the peacekeepers of Republic, but if truth be told, there Republic had not at peace and their stewardship had failed. To move now was to admit their danger. To admit the Jedi were the ones who needed help, who needed assurances of peace.

This is why they had been brought back, Masters and Padawans alike.

This move could take months or years, but the council had allotted only days. The same days that the senate was arguing within itself, too busy serving itself and debating with political rivals to do the jobs they had been elected for.

The Jedi movement would not be a secret thing, but the Republic was not ready for them to leave, nor would anyone have time to mount an attack on them.

Master Yoda assigned there best field strategists and strongest protectors to the younglings. There ships sending out first. Every remaining Master and Padawan grouped into units of six, each member responsible for the whereabouts and health of any of the group.

It made the work clunky at first. The archive units especially disparaging the rapid movement of the shelves and immediate disorganization, but everyone remained accounted for.

And in days, the Jedi temple was stripped down, brick by brick, down to the foundation that was too lifted up. The Sith artefacts were incinerated and destroyed.

Where once stood the Sith shine, where once stood the Jedi Temple was marked by a flat pavilion of stone pieced marble. A mosaic, not in the symbol of the Jedi or the Sith, but the Grey Jedi who had once sought to find the middle ground. The initiates who had not become Padawans who stayed with the Jedi, spent an entire day planting the turned earth.

When they Jedi left Coruscant, they left knowing that they had the plot of ground better than when they had seized it.

* * *

AN: I really wanted to put this in but it didn't fit.

oOo

'Rex's First Crush, Crushed'

"Long Necks approaching!" Echo called

The three Mandalorians put their helmets on. Rex and Cody hurred Padawan Palpatine and Duchess Satine and followed in after them to hide them.

The Long Neck seemed grumpy as he looked into the room, "Why are they sleeping in their armour."

"They're having emotions about the Jedi being here," Waxer offered.

The Long Neck moved on.

Rex tried was left in the awkward position of having a woman half laying on him.

Rey Palpatine didn't seem in the least affected.

He glanced over at Cody and the Duchess.

Both were flushed and avoiding eye contact.

Rex glanced back at Rey who had settled herself peacefully at his side. Rex really didn't know what to think about this.

oOo

Rex couldn't help but admire Rey, and as they landed on Serreno, he feared he was developing a crush on her.

Which on a particular level he didn't like. She was one of two women he had ever met.

And then he saw who greeted Rey as she disembarked.

The tattooed Zabrak male was the strangest being he had ever seen, and when he leaned in to kiss Padawan Palpatine, Rex decided that that particular female was a bit too odd for him.

Master Kenobi caught his gaze and smiled kindly, "That's Rey's mate, Darth Maul. He was a Sith Lord, now he's a Master of a separate Jedi Order from ours on Dathomir."

Rex blinked at him, "Aren't the Sith and Jedi foes?"

Kenobi grinned, "That was the theory."

Rex exchanged a look with Appo.

Appo shrugged, "What did you expect? They are space wizards."

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AN: Hope you enjoyed some of my outtakes!

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**AN:** Please review if you have any feedback about this fic as it is a prototype to a novel I am writing. Also, review with anything or anyone that you might like to see more or less of in the next fic? As I am currently plotting individual chapters, now is the time to speak :D


	43. Draft: Hades and Persephone

**I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing**

Apologies: So I tried spliting this into separate fic because the break here is a dramatic one, but that failed. I apologize to all the people who did review. I saved them all on my computer and drive, y'all are the real stars. And I can't thank you enough.

Warning: Darth Vader is a villain, if you are looking for sane healthy relationships, look elsewhere

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Act I: Return of the Sith - 19 BBY

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"After you became Chancellor, I didn't think you would spend as much time here," Anakin said as his Master guided him through the halls of his sanctuary.

Darth Plagueis, who was likely only half listening as he thought through a million things in that strange mind of his, answered, "Corruption feasts on attention, let them starve as the people rebuild their cities." The Muun finally shifted his attention to Anakin, "Your armada has done well over the last three years. I didn't expect them to be able to cover the trade routes beyond Mustafar's immediate neighbours quite so effectively."

Anakin basked in the praise that his Master gave so seldomly, "I know my men, they know me. And Mustafarians are a hardy people."

Which was a bit of an understatement, Mustafarians were an exceptional lot on many counts.

"Indeed, if we ever have cause for a war you and yours will be quite the asset, Darth Vader."

_Darth Vader_, it was a title that Anakin had earned, had earned in blood and pain and sorrow.

And one he had to distance himself from due to his marriage to the love of his life. He had thought it would be easier to live this dual life. Plagueis certainly made it seem easy. It wasn't as if Anakin ruled his people differently, no matter what his people addressed him with.

But with Padmé, things were different. She was a gentle, golden thing. She was everything good in the universe. She was what needed to be protected and he would do anything for her, _anything._

However, he was not aware that the very power he held to protect her, frightened her. He had only slipped a few times, and he was still making up for those slips.

Thinking of himself as Anakin Skywalker, as her 'Ani', helped him stay in control. After all, there was plenty to be furious about throughout the galaxy, but there was nothing concerning his Angel to be angry about.

"How goes your own experiment?" Plagueis asked, skimming his thoughts.

Anakin huffed, "I told you not to call her that, she's my wife."

Plagueis smirked at him, the expression was both placating and fond. "She tests you, Apprentice."

Plagueis had told him that no other Sith in history had learned or mastered more than Darth Vader had, and only recently the Master and Apprentice bond between them had shifted into something else, something that was a power unto itself.

Darth Plagueis was now a part of him as Vader was a part of Plagueis, in ways that they had yet to find the limits of. It seemed each day they learned something new, whether sharing thoughts or sight. It was an evolving thing that left them not as Master and student but two halves to the same whole.

Anakin still honoured Plagueis with the title Master. For Anakin, Darth Plagueis was the only being in the all of existence, aside from Padmé, who he would willingly bow before. Plagueis had earned that trust.

But returning to his Master's assertion, Anakin sighed, "You are not wrong, she has been testing me of late. I knew when Naboo reformed its government and appointed her Queen that she would be busy. But Force help me, the woman can't say no to anyone, she occupies her time with the most tedious of issues. And whenever I do manage to get a moment of her time she's been… snippish."

"She married you for what you could offer her people, not because she loves you," Plagueis said.

Anakin felt a roil of fury race through his heart, seeping into his veins.

His Master let out a low chuckle as he felt the backwash of Anakin's power echo through him. Leaving Anakin to wonder if the Muun had been purposely goading him or if he meant what he said.

His Master stopped, the hall they were in was windowed looking over an underground rainforest Plagueis grew here, "And here is the proof of history being mistaken, our ancestors believed in killing our spouses for the power suffering brought them. But keeping her alive has caused no end of frustration and sorrow upon your life."

"Padmé is not a sorrow," Anakin snapped.

Plagueis sighed, "She is a sorrow to me. I never wished to be this well informed of human mating habits."

Anakin groaned, "You are the worst."

Plagueis dipped his head, accepting the compliment, and they moved on through the labyrinth of the underground. Muunilinst was a strange planet, one he had only been to a few years ago having grown up on Mustafar after Plagueis rescued him from Tatooine.

Anakin enjoyed the quiet, the inherent peace of the planet.

It made savouring the pain of his Master's pets easier to savour.

"Who's the new addition?" he asked, his black robes shifting as they entered the air-conditioned space.

Plagueis tapped on the tank, "Bo-Katan Kryze."

Anakin's brows rose, "Duchess Satine's sister?"

The red-headed girl floated in the tank, appearing asleep. She wore only a white shirt, the tubes coming out of her arms and legs looked oddly beautiful, even the mask on her face.

That was something Anakin grew more and more aware of about his Master, his appreciation of the aesthetic. He wondered if it was something to do with their bonding, but his thoughts were interrupted.

Bo-Katan's eyes flashed open, the bloody egg-yolk irises of the Dark Side glared hatred at him.

Plagueis tapped the glass, "She's paralyzed."

"They are growing stronger," Anakin said, feeling the Force flowing irregularly through the girl.

He nodded, "Yes, but she has about as much intelligence as a feral frit. Jango, however, regains more of himself every day."

Anakin didn't remark on that. Jango wasn't so much regaining his intelligence, as growing accustomed to his lack of sanity. There was a small yet definable difference between the two.

"You disapprove," Plagueis stated.

"No… I just-" Anakin shook his head, "What is the point of this? You said we weren't going against the Jedi."

"I did."

"Then why are you instigating a fight with Mandalore? The Mandalorians and the Dathomirians are the Jedi's strongest allies since they've moved to Serreno."

Plagueis waved the comment away, "The Jedi are nothing. None among them could stand against us, not even together would they be strong enough now."

Anakin met Bo-Katan's gaze with a sense of foreboding, "What do you aim to do with Mandalore?"

"Turn it against itself. As your armada allows commerce to continue easily, Mandalore grows fat."

Anakin sighed, sometimes, the phrase 'you can take the Muun out of the bank but not the banker out of the Muun' was a painful reality. Anakin hated money dealing as much as he had politics.

Plagueis had taught how to be a master in both.

"We all benefit from Mandalore being at peace, they are at a crossroads. Also, killing a Mandalorian is annoying, they don't take hints."

By hints, he meant bombs, and throwing a grenade at Mandalorians was like handing them an invitation.

Not that Anakin was ever put out by a fight if he could deal with it personally, but he didn't enjoy reading reports of how many of his men lost because they were perceived to have been in the way of a bounty.

And those were just the strays, actually attacking Mandalore and purposely pocking at it sounded like a headache.

Anakin liked order, Mandalore was in competition with Mustafar for establishing flaming hellscapes.

Plagueis laid a long finger hand on his shoulder, "It will be an internal attack, crime will flock to their system and the Mandalorians will be forced to work with you to regain sovereignty over their own system."

He sighed, breaking eye contact with the tank-made Sithling, "Do not underestimate them, Master. The galaxy will be brought to heel, but if you start with Mandalore a rebellion will be born early."

"Not if we bring them to heel swiftly."

Anakin ran a hand through his hair, "They will rebel because they are a contrary people."

"They are human."

"Yes, who _also_ have the tendency to be contrary by nature. Mandalorians aren't moved by economics, Master. Please hear me on this."

"Everyone is moved by commerce."

"The Jedi aren't," Anakin argued.

"Trust me, my Apprentice," Plagueis coaxed.

"I do, but even you are failable. That was one of the first lessons you ever gave me, the Sith were only ever defeated by their own hubris."

Plagueis's expression hardened, and his grip on Anakin's shoulder tightened, "Do not-"

Anakin didn't back down, if they were true equals now, then they had to be honest with each other.

They were the first Sith since Bane who honoured each other, who didn't want the other dead, together, they were invincible.

The same could not be said about their growing empire.

"We are a few years out from declaring our expansion an Empire. Mandalore and the Jedi remain natural to our Republic. They are hidden away in the far side of the galaxy, do not give them a reason to be involved."

"We can handl-"

Anakin brushed away his hand, "Of course we can, but that isn't our plan, we birth our empire and when the Jedi finally raise their heads out of their collective arses, their every struggle against us will make us stronger. But we need a united empire _first_."

Plagueis stared down with yellow eyes, "Then I suggest you start uniting. As Chancellor, my job is to keep the money flowing, if I push too fast I will destabilize what we have already built. It is you who must become the revolutionary for my administration to welcome in. Such movements do not excel from the top down."

Anakin gritted his teeth and he took a step back, "You are making a mistake. My people are loyal but the Republic is still divided," The Force swirled around him, cold and awakening, even as his veins raced with heat. The contrast made him feel feverish. "Can't you feel it? This is not the way."

Plagueis stared at him, "This is my project, not yours. It will never be tracked back to us."

Anakin fisted his hands, thinking it wiser to try attacking the Jedi stronghold than kicking at Mandalore. "Fine, do what you want. I'm not your keeper." He turned on his heel, his caping flowing behind in a satisfying manner.

Darth Plagueis did not call him back, probably already lost in his charts and midi-chlorian harvesting.

Oh, how he wished to disparage these events with Padmé.

But he couldn't.

Because his lovely Queen still had too many ties to the Jedi Order.

As he was lifted to the surface, he mulled over all the secrets he had to keep from her. By the time he stepped into Plagueis's house, he had made his decision. If Plagueis was going to be rash, so would he.

Padmé would either say goodbye to her Jedi or he would silence them. It might take some careful manoeuvring to arrange an 'accident' but it had been too long since Anakin had last slain a Jedi Knight.

Padmé's Jedi admirers would at least, in theory, offer him a challenge. Maybe.

Masters Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn as Jedi council members were far too prominent for even Anakin to cover up. Besides, they were more cordial advisers than her friends. But Jinn's Padawans?

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi would be a joy to murder. He had never met the man in person, but whenever Padmé spoke of him, there was an odd light in her eyes that drove him to madness.

Obi-Wan Kriffing Kenobi, the Master and inventor of Form VIII, the only form that Anakin did not know, that _Darth Plagueis_ did not know. Yet every Dathomirian Nightbrother knew it.

They had often debated the merits of kidnapping one of them and learning it that way, but the Dathomirian Nightbrothers were almost true monks, all but two, never venturing off world. Plagueis had warned that it was too risky to draw the attention of Mother Talzin who had magicks that could spy on them from afar.

Perhaps, Anakin thought, smiling as he climbed into his fighter, he could learn from the Shono-Mii Master himself as he took pieces off him.

And if that proved futile, he could try again with Kenobi's Togruta apprentice.

Decision made, Anakin stored the loathing away to be stoked at a later date. He didn't truly want Padmé to be driven to grieving for her friends, but if she disobeyed him, then he would have no other choice.

As he reached orbit, he quick-mathed the coordinates, and knowing the limits of his ship, jumped into hyperspace.

Hyperspace was not his favourite part of flying, but it gave him time to meditate, to absorb the Force, time to grow in it as he let himself become one with the ship.

Perhaps Plagueis was not wrong to send his abominations to Mandalore. Anakin might have overreacted.

Jango could not fail to be recognized as a Force user, as a Dark Sider, which would be an impossibility in the Jedi minds as they thought of the Force only within the archaic. The Jedi held so fast to their traditions that they forgot their history, failed their present, and doomed their future. So someone like Jango would be a shock to them.

The fallen Mandalorian had already attacked Serreno itself once.

Also, as Jango was now a Force user, the Mandalorians may turn on the Jedi as easily as they turned on themselves. Anakin had no logical reason to think that this would be tracked back to Plagueis and himself.

But Anakin knew the future, and he had been having it shift of late, his waking dreams leading him through visions he had never glimpsed before.

Anakin sighed again, and pulled the Force into himself, bathing it, letting the worries turn to purpose, letting his hatred turn to power, and basked in the glory of knowing that he -Darth Vader, had the power to level worlds and reshape the face of the galaxy on a whim.

Whatever came, he would be victorious.

He threw his awareness wide, letting his foresight guide him, he said, "Through victory," he picked up the controls to his ship, "-my chains are broken."

He flipped the controls he had customized and went into manual. Gliding through the galaxy at the speed of light, just him, the Force, and the passing stars, he knew that no one, not even Plagueis, owned his future.

"The Force shall free me."

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AN: _The Queen Does Not Need to Know, _is part A of this story, don't be deterred by Daisy, she's my OC. If you like please, please consider reviewing?

KEYnote: Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, is the Chosen One at full potential. No one in my story is even a tenth of how powerful he is, aside from Plagueis who is a part and an extension of Anakin's power base.

AN: I will be switching povs as I do in other stories, but Anakin has been missing from the narrative for 245K. Did you think Queen was missing a powerful antagonist? I was raising my demons, Mwahahahaha!

Chapter 2 - Hades and Persephone

Anakin arrived back on Mustafar in record time, even by his standards.

Exiting his ship, he felt exhilarated that even setting his feet on the ground. He felt as if the galaxy was his for the taking.

Mainly because it was his for the taking.

"Welcome home, Senator Skywalker," the Captain of his guard greeted him.

Anakin put a hand on the gruff man's shoulder, Fennin was a born Mustarain, unlike the thousands that had flocked to Anakin's cities for job opportunities. Fennin had all the scars to prove his birth rite. Although half his face scarred, warped into a mask, obscuring his vision in one eye, he was still the best shot among all of Anakin's men, both in his personal guard and in the Armada.

"Have you kept us afloat, my dear friend?" Anakin asked.

Fennin smirked at him, "If you're asking if the magma has devoured all hope of reasonable habitation, then yes, Sir, we are afloat."

Anakin patted his back, "That's the spirit."

Ciel, his Sargent, sniggered as Fennin gave him an exasperated look.

Anakin gave the shorter man a wink, before striding toward his chambers.

Fennin was not as trusting of the technology advances Anakin had established and utilized on the planet to keep them safe. Most Mustafarians were about two side steps away from being heathens worshipping anything that lived past thirty standard years. Superstition ran deep amongst his people.

But it also allowed him to rule Mustafar as he saw fit. Despite living on active volcanoes, his planet was one of the safest places in the galaxy. Because there was not a soul on this system that didn't play by his justice.

"How was the Chancellor?" Fennin asked.

Anakin was already running through a list of things he needed to do before he left again, so his answer was a bit distracted as he said, "The same, the Republic has much to be fixed."

And it was a pity his Master wanted to poke more holes in it.

"You seem in fine spirits, today, Sir," Ciel noted.

Anakin flashed him a grin, "I've arranged to take time off and visit my wife. One of the committees I am on rescheduled."

Ciel smiled back, his dark eyes alight with devotion, "You deserve it, Sir, you work too much."

Anakin's mood dimmed a bit, as he muttered, "Not as much as my wife."

Fennin frowned his lips matching directions for once, "Queen Amidala should be more thankful for what she has."

Anakin waved it away, "I'm sure I can convince her to relax, after all, she has never turned me away at night."

Not that that had ever been an option, Anakin had been clear from the beginning that no matter what political arrangements were between them, their marriage would be a real one.

Ciel chuckled, "A shame you two have to live apart."

He shrugged, "Being Queen makes her happy, I would never ask her to choose." After all, once he raised an Empire, she would no longer be a queen but an empress.

The light to his darkness, and they would be worshipped.

Although he knew Mustafar was far from anyone's idea of paradise, he had made a palace of black stone and gold filigree. It was a darker beauty than palaces of Naboo, but it rivalled the galaxy in both ingenuity and artistry.

His own suit overlooked the smaller rivers and magma-falls, the horizon a ridge of dark mountains and volcanoes. But the rooms themselves were heavily air-conditioned and fitted with all manner of water fixtures, both because he knew Padme liked the various water fountains and because as someone born on Tatooine, the water was a reminder of his wealth, of how far he had come.

Water was perhaps one of their most precious imports. Padme sometimes protested that the riches he gave back to her and her planet were too much, but she never seemed to understand, no matter how many times she visited his planet, that the water Naboo gave them so freely was worth more than any fire diamond.

"Sir," C-3PO greeted him, "I hope you-"

"Update on Naboo," Anakin ordered, cutting the droid off, the one thing he had kept after his mother's passing, "We will be departing as soon as I'm done changing."

"Oh!" the droid exclaimed, "How wonderful! Seeing Lady Skywalker-"

"Update, Threepio," Anakin cut him off as he undid his cape, letting the heavy fabric spill to the ground.

"Certainly, Sir," the droid said before rattling off the news reports and those reports that Padme's standard guard sent him routinely.

Though it was his preference to wear black with metal inlay in the stitching, he didn't enjoy making himself a spectacle on Naboo.

Not that Nubians didn't wear black, but he preferred to be Padme's match, not her shadow. Dawning the richer colours, greens and deep purples accented with gold, he left his lightsaber in his closest.

He enjoyed duelling, almost more than anything else when it came to his training, but he didn't need it to squish his enemies.

"You look splendid, Sir," Threepio complemented.

Anakin smirked as he finished putting in his gold earrings on the one ear. He had learned the hard way to never wear such 'vanity' around Plagueis, but Anakin liked the way that Nubian women looked at him, and he loved the way that Padme reached for his ear.

Her hands were always gentle.

"Let's go," he said to the droid. Fennin and Ciel fell back in step behind him as he headed back for his ship.

His fighter could fit two people comfortably, four people less comfortably. Which did not matter overly for Threepio who did not require comfort even as he protested as the guard lowered him into the cockpit.

"Threepio," Anakin said, exasperated, "I am going to leave you with Padme this time."

"Oh, thank the Nubian waters," Ciel said, "R2 is so much more competent."

C-3pO let out an exclamation and began listing off all the things he was useful for and how crazy R2 was.

Fennin gave him a look, "Why did you make him like this?"

"I was nine," Anakin said, settling himself in his seat.

His Captain only shook his head as he patted the exterior of the ship, "Don't crash into a star, Sir."

Anakin saluted him as the wind shield closed and he started the engines.

This time, he let the ship do the work during hyperspace, Threepio had a way of breaking his concentration with his inane comments. There were times he wanted to reprogram the droid, but he would never risk losing any of the droid's files of his mother.

He passed the time in hyperspace reinforcing his shields. It hadn't happened yet that he had crossed paths with Padme's Jedi associates, but there was a first time for everything.

When he landed in the Nubain Palace hanger, he was greeted warmly. His surprise visits were always greeted with this level of welcome as the palace guard led him toward Padme's personal wing of the palace.

Where, as the guard informed him, she had a rare evening off.

Naboo was doing much better but still, she worked herself to her limits. But of course, that's part of what he loved about her, what her people loved about her.

When he caught sight of her, dressed not in the heavy queen attire but in a loose flowing gown of pink and white, his heart felt as if it would burst.

She was talking with Sabe, her handmaiden who resembled her most closely. Sabe spotted him first. Her laughing expression fading into her smooth mask as she came to attention and lowered her gaze.

Padme stiffened, and when she turned, her face too was smooth.

She was still beautiful.

Putting one hand behind his back, the other two his heart, he bowed to her, "My Queen."

A slight smile cracked her expression as she extended her hand to him. He caught her delicate wrist with a gentle hand as he kissed her knuckles.

"Ani," she said, her voice a song, "I wasn't expecting you."

"Hmmm," he murmured as he tugged her forward into his embrace, "I've missed you."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he held her back. As much as he wanted her in all the ways a man could want a woman, it was this gentleness that he craved most from her. Her unconditional love that sought comfort before lust.

Padme feared him, but that was alright. It was only her ties to the Jedi that kept him from confiding in her fully, and he knew that keeping secrets is what she feared. And as intelligent a woman as she was, it was the unknown she truly feared. That and while she ruled a planet of water and flowers, he ruled one of lava and toxic gases.

He touched her chin, and she raised her face from his chest to meet his lips.

Force help him, he loved her so much.

She completed him.

She pulled back first, worry in her honeyed eyes.

He cupped her face, "My love, what is wrong?"

She tried pulling back further, but he wouldn't allow it.

"What's happened?" he demanded.

She put her hands on his, "I have news?"

He went very still, not at all liking the tension in her. His truest self rioted inside him, his power pressing against the shields that he had fortified. Anakin couldn't keep the growl out of his voice as he asked in a low tone, "What news, Padme?"

She was shaking now, and _that_ scared him enough that he allowed her to guide his hands from her face to her abdomen, "Ani," she said, voice tentative and almost a whisper, "I'm pregnant."

He blinked at her, the news too strange, too wonderful to match her fear and his anger. But then it sunk in, she was pregnant.

With his child.

_His child._

He was going to be a father.

"Ani?" she asked, putting a hand to his cheek to catch his tears.

He smiled, turning his head to kiss her palm, his other hand pulling her to him protectively, "This is the happiest day of his life." She wrapped her arms back around him, sagging into his strength as her worry left her. "How could you keep this from me?" he asked, running a hand down her exposed back.

She shivered, "I wanted to be sure."

He pulled back to look down at her, "All healthy? How far along are you?"

She nodded then bit her lip, "Second trimester, but Anakin, I wanted to ask… that is, I want to have him here."

He nodded, "Of course, anything for you." Then he caught the pronoun, his heart fluttering with excitement, "A boy?"

She nodded, but her expression was still pinched, "I want to raise him here."

He smiled, "Certainly, Mustafar is safe, but even I would rather our babies grow up a planet this wealthy with water. He can move in with me once he's old enough to pilot on his own."

She finally smiled, "Thank you."

"Have you come up with any names?" he asked, his excitement growing as his mind began swirling through the possibilities. All his plans, his entire life, would be rearranged by this little one. He welcomed it.

Family was everything to him.

She bit her lip, but she was smiling too, "Luke Skywalker?"

He grinned, "Luke Amidala Skywalker. It's decided."

Padme laughed, "Thank you, Ani."

He kissed her forehead, joy engulfing him, "Anything for you, my Angel."

It was the very brightest moment of his entire existence, surpassing everything that came before it.

So naturally, the universe seemed fit to poke at him.

Sabe, who had faded from his awareness, reappeared at their sides, her voice soft as she said, "My lady, the Jedi are here."

Anakin knew his smile had a bite to it, "Oh good, I finally get to meet the traitors to the Republic."

Padme jerked back from him, but he caught her wrist before she could put significant distance between them. "Anakin, they are my dearest friends." She tried to pull her hand away but he didn't let go.

"The Jedi are rebel scum," he stated plainly.

Padme scowled at him with her lovely honey eyes, her anger making her that much more lovely.

If Plagueis' experiments didn't lead to death or insanity, he would have liked to share the Force with her.

Padme would have been a Sith like no other.

But he had a son for that now, kin that he could teach and pass on all that he knew.

She stopped pulling on her hand and said, "The Jedi are my allies."

"The Jedi bring nothing but woe and destruction wherever they are, wherever they go. But their passive ways allow evil to flourish."

"That isn't true," she protested.

He glared at her, he had enough of her relations with Kenobi and his influence over her. "I will not have them around our baby."

"Ani, please-"

"No, Padme, you will say goodbye to them this day. You do not need them, Naboo doesn't need them, and I will not have them near _my_ son."

"Anakin, let go, you're hurting me."

He let go at once, pulling her into a hug, "I'm sorry, my Angel, I just want what is best for our family. We have more than ourselves to worry about now."

She buried her face into his chest as he began to rub her back in soothing circles.

"They are my friends," she said almost too softly for him to hear.

He rested his cheek on her head, "The Jedi are deceitful, my love, this is for the best."

When she didn't say anything, he sighed and held her closer, "I love you, Angel."

She hugged him closer, and though she didn't say the words back, the way she clung to his strength was all the reassurance he needed that she felt the same.

He looked up to meet Sabe's glare with a smirk. Padme might not know it, but Sabe was in love with his Queen.

Her jealousy pleased him.

Dorme announced from down the hall, "Master Kenobi, Knight Palpatine, and Padawan Tano."

The Knight, Palpatine, came forward, her steps lights, her robes white and form fitting, a metal staff strapped to her back.

Anakin knew of her, but he had never been overly invested in digging into her background beyond knowing that she was Darth Sidious's daughter.

He knew there was a scandal surrounding her but Plagueis had only ever expressed wanting to take her apart.

But as he sensed the Force flowing around her like a desert storm, he began to rethink his discounting her as a threat to his wife.

He knew at once that he was stronger than her, but it wasn't even her personal strength that bothered him, it was the way Force reacted to her.

She came to stop within a stride of them, a sign of intimacy that she hadn't earned. He took a step in front of Padme, and he greeted coldly, "Palpatine."

There was something familiar about her, very familiar, and it was only seeing her face in person that her features tugged on an old memory.

She cocked her to the side, "Ani?"

He stiffened, only Padme was allowed to call him that.

But this little Knight didn't flinch at his glower, on the contrary, she seemed to brighten, "Little Ani, you were Watto's-"

Kenobi grabbed the girl's arm and tugged her back from Vader's personal space before he did something violent.

The Jedi Master bowed his head, "My apologies, Senator Skywalker, Rey is not a politician."

And that's when it clicked, the girl's image emerging from memories long buried. "Scavenger," he said shortly.

Rey grinned at him, giving another step back as her bearded companion pulled her to his side, "You remember me. I didn't connect your surname, I only ever knew you as Ani. Padme never told us you were from Tatooine."

He lowered his voice, "I do not want my story shared with a rabble like you."

Rey Palpatine raised a brow, looking amused as she said, "Rabble? We share a very similar story, Anakin."

"You will address me as Senator Skywalker," he commanded her, "And we are _nothing_ alike."

She snorted, "Of course we are, both slaves from nowhere desert worlds, both-"

"I was not a scavenger, I was a mechanic."

Her smile finally faltered, her face falling into a closed off expression, the face of the desert people, wary and ready to go for the eyes if someone tried anything, "I was also a mechanic, Skywalker. And I earned my freedom by scavenging."  
He sneered at her, "You think thievery earned you anything? The standards of Jawas do not impress me."

She put her hands on her hips.

"Rey," Kenobi warned her, the Togruta was flickering her gaze between them all.

But Rey shook her head, "There aren't any Jawas on Jakku."

_Jakku?_ He thought, the name of the little moon impressing him despite himself. He had never heard of a slave getting out of Hutt hands from a territory as uncontested as that.

Her expression softened, "What happened to your mother, Shmi?"

His throat tightened, the unexpectedness of facing someone who not only knew his mother but knew her well enough to speak of her fondly catching him off guard. Padme put a hand on his back, the gesture saving him from saying something he might regret. "She died," he said stiffly.

Rey took two swift steps forward, and he flinched back from her, putting his hand back to guard Padme. But the Knight touched his arm, and said with sincerity, "I'm sorry, Ani, her loss is to be grieved by the galaxy."

Anakin stared down into her hazel eyes and he was at an absolute loss as to what to do or say. Plagueis's teachings kicked in, "Thank you, I remember my mother thought well of you."

Rey pulled her hand back and smirked, "Oh, that's because I walked in one day when Watto was about to wack you on the back of the head for getting lost in one your practice. I nearly broke his wing with my staff."

Anakin shook his head trying to shake off the memory of Watto swearing at the scavenger who swore right back at the junk trader. The girl in his memory had been wary and always on the ready for an attack.

How had the daughter of a Sith, a slave girl, a scavenger, been so drawn to the Light?

He let down his shields, the tiniest fraction, and was confused by the Light that reached out toward him.

He was Darth Vader, a Sith Lord, the Light Side of the Force had never spoken to him as it did now. He was more puzzled than upset.

This girl was a conundrum. She should have been on their side, not with the Jedi.

Finally, he managed, "You were a strange girl."

Kenobi snorted, "That, my friend, is an understatement."

Anakin had to hold himself back from snapping at the man as he met his blue gaze. He was glad the man had a beard, his ginger hair bright and obnoxious, it settled something in him.

Padme would never lust after a man this unkempt. Kenobi was the peasantry, his Jedi robes marking him as a monk, not a suiter.

"And with that," Rey said, his gaze focusing back on her, "I need to borrow your wife."

His jaw went a bit slack at her remark, and it was part shock at the woman's audacity, and him being ill-prepared for her speed.

In a blink, she was at his side, catching Padme's hand and pulling her toward his wife's bedroom.

He tried to catch the scavenger's shoulder but she moved like a leaf on the wind. Nothing but air met his grip as Sabe opened the door for them and the little thief slammed the door in his face.

It took all of Vader's control not to drop his shields and blast the door off its hinges, not to storm into his wife's chambers.

But he couldn't, if his wife was entertaining women in her suite, in daylight hours, it was the height of impropriety to breach her privacy.

At least not with quite so many witnesses, not with people Padme had essentially left him, as her husband and Prince Consort of Naboo, to entertain.

He turned to look at Kenobi, whose face would have been straight if not for the humour sparkling in his blue eyes.

His Padawan was holding a hand to her lips, attempting and failing to hold back snigger.

He was going to kill them.

He was going to kill them all.

Slowly.

Staring into Kenobi's eyes, imagining how he would flay him, he decided the scavenger needed something more. Kenobi had always been a potential threat, but he was at least being respectful.

Palpatine wasn't.

He would give her to Plagueis. Plagueis had a knack for torture that Anakin did not have the patience for.

She would wish for death years before she was granted that reprieve.

The young Togruta, she must have been seventeen or eighteen at a guess, closer to Knight then Padawan, finally got a hold of herself, "Rey takes some getting used to, Skyguy."

He felt his eye twitch, "Don't call me that."

She smiled at him, her large blue striking in against her skin tone and the white markings, "Whatever you say, Senator Mustafar."

Vader decided he would kill her first, in front of Kenobi. He would make her Master beg for her life. And he would savour watching the light die in his eyes as he failed his apprentice. He caught the man's gaze as he stared at him with a thoughtful hand to his chin.

"What?" he snapped at the dead man walking.

Kenobi smiled at him, a sardonic twist to his lips even as he said candidly, "Nothing, I just have this strange feeling that in another life, you and I would have been good friends."

Darth Vader scoffed, "I sincerely doubt that."

* * *

AN: If you're reading and enjoying, please, please review?

And I know people get annoyed with me flopping between projects but this is my creative process. Nauze edited this chapter and the last! :D

Also, I moved reviews over, if this bothers you, pm and I can take yours down. I really can't tell you enough what your feedback means to me.

* * *

KEYnote: I can't give you any of my intentions for Anakin without giving spoilers. But his POV will be rare for Act I. Also, I pulled Rey back before the Force Awakens, so she only knew the legends, not Luke turning his father back to the Light. I am working on the assumption she only learned more about Vader after meeting Han and the rest.

Chapter 3 - You Shouldn't Have

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't know what to make of Senator Anakin Skywalker. Padme marrying this man had broken his heart, but as a political marriage, it had saved Naboo from the economic woes it suffered after the deliberate sabotage by Chancellor Palpatine.

There was an awkward silence, and Obi-Wan cleared his throat, "Can I offer you a drink?"

Skywalker's eyes sharpened on him, "You know the layout of Padme's personal suit."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, already walking toward the alcove adjoined to a balcony that was set further back from Padme's and far enough away that unless she was screaming, there would be no way to overhear conversations.

Without turning he said, "I was a part of Padme's guard for several years. I know the layout of the entire palace."

Ahsoka gave the glowering man a wary look. Obi-Wan didn't blame her, Skywalker was a big man and given that he was Mustafar's first Senator, he wasn't liable to be unschooled in violence.

Obi-Wan glanced at him, "What would you like?"

He sneered at him, "The only thing I want from you, Kenobi, is your absence."

Obi-Wan stilled reassessing his initial feelings of the man. He smiled gently, "If I didn't know better, Senator, I would think you don't like me."

"I don't," the man said flatly.

Obi-Wan shifted on his feet, then abandoned the bar and went to lean against the balcony railing with Ahsoka who was oddly quiet. This was Padme's husband, they hadn't wanted to be his enemy.

"Naboo is doing quite well," Obi-Wan said, changing the subject, the Force warning him not to push.

_Was Padme in danger?_

Ahsoka put a hand to his wrist.

He turned to raise a brow at her, he hadn't thought he had projected that thought.

_Be careful, Master, something isn't right with him._

Obi-Wan looked back at the man who stood unharried, gazing at them as if they were intruders.

He tried reaching out to him in the Force, and he felt nothing wrong with him. His personality was large, his emotions loud, but his Force signature was nothing outside the norms for a non-Force sensitive.

Yet the Force still rang with warning.

Qui-Gon had told him once to never assume a person was sound of mind when they held great wealth and great power, no matter how they appeared.

This was the man who had colonized Mustafar, of all places. He was intelligent as he was dangerous. And the Force swirled with alarm to stand back, to get away from him.

When he continued to say nothing, Obi-Wan quit with the small talk, "Is there a particular reason you dislike me on sight?"

"You're a Jedi," he said as if that was answer enough.

Ahsoka stiffened, "What of it?"

He raised his chin, "You are nothing but a bunch of hypocritical pacifists who answer all your problems with violence. You are the cowards who let the Republic crumble."

Ahsoka, ignoring her own warning, straightened, squaring her feet, "I'm sorry, what were we supposed to do, work with the Sith Lord trying to force us to join a civil war?"

"Yes, because you would have been fighting against anarchy. You could have stepped up, instead, you let countless suffer as you upended the trade routes and left the Republic defenceless," Skywalker said hotly.

That was an argument and view many in the Republic shared. The Outer Rim planets had differing views.

"Instead we have been helping people on forgotten planets. Tatooine, for instance, has an established a government and outlawed slavery, and those laws have been enforced," Obi-Wan said.

Skywalker's face went hard, and his voice was low when he replied, "Tatooine's suns can go supernova for all I care."

Obi-Wan blinked at him, and again he scrambled to redirect the conversation. This was Padme's husband, if things remained this hostile between them, she might never invite them back. Rey would be crushed.

"Congratulations, about the baby, I mean," was all he could think to say.

It was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Skywalker's face went from petulant to murderous, "She told you?"

_Padme, are you in danger?_ he thought even as he back-tracked, "No, no, I didn't know until I saw her today." He didn't say he knew her body well enough to have spotted the extra weight and the curve of her stomach despite the flowing folds of her dress. "I sensed the additional life in the Force."

Skywalker glared at him, "Keep your senses to yourself. I do not want any of your Jedi arts around my family."

Just then Panaka joined them.

"Senator Skywalker, Master Kenobi, and Padawan Tano, all my favourite people aside from the Queen herself," the captain stepped toward the refreshment counter, "Obi-Wan, you should have offered everyone drinks, you know you are still welcome to call the palace home."

Skywalker stiffened, "No, he isn't welcome."

Panaka laughed, "Ah, M'Lord your sense of humour never fails to delight."

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka exchanged a look at Skywalker's expression that Panaka seemed to overlook as he handed him a wine glass.

Then Skywalker's demeanour shifted and he became the perfect politician and gracious host.

Panaka seemed to adore him, as did every staff member, servant, and guard.

The only person that seemed unmoved by the Senator's charms was Dorme standing in the corner, her expression blank but her eyes tracked Skywalker warily.

Obi-Wan, Dooku, Qui-Gon, Ahsoka, and Rey had been visiting Padme intermittently over the last three years, and he had only ever heard good things about Senator Skywalker. Sure, Padme's answers were never of an intimate nature, but given their history, Obi-Wan had never pushed.

Now he was worried that he had made a mistake.

* * *

Rey sat herself on Padme's balcony railing, her back to the lake as Padme stared back at the door she had slammed in her husband's face.

"I can't believe you just did that," Padme said, gliding to the balcony.

"He'll get over it," Rey said, "I have things to tell you and I believe you have things to tell me."

Padme flushed, "You can sense my son through the Force?"

Rey paused at her friend's deliberate use of son and not twins. Did she not know? Was it Rey's place to tell her?

"What did the doctors say?" she asked.

"That he's happy and healthy. His heart beats seem like that of a hummingbird to me. I saw him and everything. I'm lucky, he's not a kicker."

Rey touched her own stomach, "I'm not that far along yet."

Padme's face lit up, all traces of worry blown away as she came to Rey and laid a hand beside hers where she was beginning to show. "You're pregnant too?"

Rey sighed, "Twins, I'm going to be useless for months."

Padme's smile faltered a bit, "Twins? You must have heard two heartbeats then."

Rey touched Padme's face, unsure of what was going on with her, but answered the question, "Four actually, both my sons are Zabraks, they have two hearts each."

Padme laughed, "Oh, Maul must be thrilled."

Rey bit her lip, "I haven't told him yet."

She blinked those honeyed eyes at her, "What? Why not?"

Rey sighed, "Because then I'll have to have the discussion of where they are to be raised."

"Don't the females usually raise the babes?"

"They do, but then between the age of ten to twelve, male children are given to the Nightbrother clans. I want them to stay among the Jedi, I want them raised with the other younglings."

Padme frowned, "Wait, you don't want to raise them yourself?"

She sighed again, "I never intended to be pregnant, I've been using contraceptives and it isn't as if Maul and I see each other see each other that often."

"You don't?"

Rey grinned and waggled her eyebrows at the Nubian Queen, "Did you have fantasies about us, Queenie?"

Padme shoved her, "No, but you said you were mates, I thought that meant-"

"It's not the same thing as marriage, love," Rey said, "We care for one another, and we are friends above all else. Being mates simply means we are an acknowledged match by his people."

"Could you be sleeping with other people?" Padme asked, sounding a bit scandalized.

Rey smirked, "By Dathomirian law, yes, but he couldn't. Then again, by Dathomirian law, since I'm now pregnant, as my mate he would have to submit to my killing him."

"I thought they abolished that."

"They did, I'm just making the point that being mates is an intimate thing, but not a romantic one."

Padme shook his head, "But Maul turned to the Light Side because of you."

Rey let out a bark of laughter.

Padme glared at her, "I don't think that's funny. I think it is extremely romantic."

Rey shook her head, the idea of her Dathomirian lover turning to the Light because of romantic inclination tickling her, "Who told you that?"

"Obi-Wan," she answered, a bit defensively.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi is a hopeless romantic, Maul's turning to the Light, and only halfway, I might add, had nothing to do with his feelings for me."

"Then why did he turn?"

"Because his Sith Master tortured him past all endurance. Sith use pain, both their own and others', to gain power. But Sheev Palpatine tortured him to the point where when Maul tried calling power to himself, the Dark Side nearly destroyed him. His finding the Light was almost accidental, when he surrendered his control to the Force, the Light helped heal him."

Padme rested her hand on Rey's thigh, "I don't understand."

Rey laid her hand over hers, "The Light and Dark are equal parts of the Force, but how you access the power of each is different. You take from the Dark, make it suffer with you, while with the Light, you give yourself to the Force and the Force lives through you. Maul was in so much pain that he surpassed how much of the Force he could safely wield without it turning on him. He thought he was dying. The Jedi have a saying, there is no death, only the Force. He let go and the Force embraced him."

"I thought you could turn to the Dark Side from torture?"

"Oh, you can. But the type of torture Maul described to me… I don't think there are many species in the galaxy that could survive what he did. And even most Zabraks… however, Maul grew up being tortured."

"That doesn't mean he's incapable of love," Padme said.

Rey smiled gently and leaned down to press her forehead to Padme's, "No, it doesn't, but that isn't what Maul and I are to each other. We trust one another, and that means more to the both of us than anything else."

"You trust lots of people, Rey, and you've never had sex with them."

Rey pulled back laughing, "I could give up sex, it's enjoyable but I don't crave it."

"Does he?"

Rey winked, "That's our business."

"I don't understand why you're so reluctant to say you love him."

Rey sighed, not knowing how to explain it, "If something ever happened to Maul…" she took in a deep breath, "He would be it for me, I can't imagine sharing that part of myself with anyone else. But it wouldn't break me. We are independent of one another. I wouldn't be broken hearted in the same way Ob-" she cut herself off.

Padme's face fell and she stepped back.

Rey hopped off the railing and pulled the shorter woman into a hug, the lights of their babies sparkling between them within the Force, "I'm sorry, Padme."

Padme held her back, "I miss him so much."

And Rey knew she meant more than she was saying. She held her tighter, "I know."

Rey still shared a suite with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in one of the constructed convents on Serreno. Ahsoka roomed with her friend Barriss nearer to one of the healer buildings.

She and Obi-Wan were in reality, granddaughter and grandfather, thanks to a bit of Forcely time travel, but they were, in reality, more like sister and brother. Padme's marriage to Senator Skywalker had wrecked Obi-Wan's heart.

Rey pulled back, "But you're starting a family of your own. Have you come up with names?"

Padme whipped at her face, "Luke Skywalker."

The name rang through like a struck bell, "Oh my stars."

Padme's face went instantly wary, "What? Rey Palpatine, what is it?"

Rey grinned, "Jedi Knight _Luke Skywalker_ was the man who helped defeat the Empire in my time. He was the only surviving Jedi, Padme, he was a _legend._"

"Really?"

"Yes, he was a part of the Rebel Alliance, he was also an insanely talented pilot. He blew up a Death Star, two actually."

"Ani is a talented pilot. What's a Death Star?"

"A planet-obliterating space station the size of a moon."

"What?" this from Sabe still standing by the door.

"As I said, Luke Skywalker was a Legend. Damn, I can't believe I didn't figure this out sooner, Luke was from Tatooine too."

Padme frowned, "Anakin _hates_ his homeworld, I can't imagine why he would live there."

"He was probably in hiding. The Emperor hunted down everyone in the galaxy with Force sensitivity. The Jedi were all but extinct. Luke was known to be the last."

Padme's face went whiter, "You mean…"

Rey nodded, "Everyone. That's why we moved to Serreno, more so than avoiding civil war. Sifo-Dyas and I kept having visions of our people being attacked in the Temple. It wasn't safe for us to stay."

She swallowed, "I am glad that you listened to the visions."

Rey grinned, "Me too. Do you think you and Anakin will decide to bring Luke to Serreno? I mean it's nothing you have to decide any time soon. The Order has even been actively recruiting older initiates."

"No," Padme said, putting a hand protectively around herself, "No, Luke will never become a Jedi."

Rey stepped back, stung by the venom in her voice, "Alright, that's your choice, I just thought-"

"Anakin hates the Jedi."

Rey pushed back a strand of her hair that had freed itself from her braided buns, "What do you mean 'hates'? He must know that we are your allies, and by extension, his allies."

"No, Rey, he isn't. He despises the Order and he thinks we should have gone to war with the Separatists."

"By we, you mean the Republic? Padme, before you married Anakin you were a part of the Separatist movement."

"Things changed."

Rey took another step back, "Why do I feel like you about to give me bad news?"

Padme smiled at her sadly, "Because after today, we won't be seeing each other. This is goodbye, Rey."

She shook her head, "No. No- this doesn't make sense. I'm your friend, and I have been for years. Much longer than you even knew Anakin."

"Actually, I met Anakin the same day I met you. In Watto's junk shop when I was waiting for Qui-Gon."

Rey rubbed her face, "He was a child. He doesn't have the right to dictate who you-"

"He does, though. Especially if Luke is a Force sensitive in truth."

Rey shook her head, "If he becomes even a tenth of how powerful he was rumoured to be then you're wrong. He should be trained, even if just in the basics, Force sensitivity can evolve in strange ways."

"I'm sorry, Rey, but it just isn't going to be possible."

"When did you choose politics over what you know to be right and wrong? Marrying a man you do not love, I understand; choosing your people over your heart, I understand, but I do not understand this. We are not a threat to Naboo, and we would only ever wish the best upon your son."

"It changed because I am not just a politician, I am Naboo. And we need Mustafar to continue to prosper, and if Anakin doesn't want our son around the Jedi, I cannot fight him on it."

"Why not?"

Padme's expression hardened, heat entering her pale brown eyes, "Because while I am glad the Jedi saved themselves, they did so with the ruin of countless systems within the Republic."

"What do you think a civil war would have done to us?"

"I think leaving the way you did was perhaps more detrimental than a war. You gave no time for anyone to prepare."

"And what about the Separatist systems that the Republic abandoned. The Alliance has expanded across the Outer Rim, every year we get closer to abolishing slavery."

"At the cost of betraying your own people," Padme said softly.

Rey felt tears prick at her eyes, she could continue to argue, but she didn't know what good that would do. She did not want to part with bad blood between them.

She didn't want them to part at all.

"Please Padme, you are family to me, to us."

Padme put a hand over her stomach, "I already have a family, Rey."

Rey stepped back, calling to Obi-Wan through their old Padawan-Master bond. "You are telling Obi-Wan, I will not be the one to break his heart, not again."

Rey couldn't even look at her. Yes, Padme and Obi-Wan had been lovers, but Rey knew that Obi-Wan valued Padme's friendship just as much as those deeper ties. He was a good enough Jedi, able to set aside his feelings for her, but Rey knew that to say goodbye completely to this magnificent little queen would be a far deeper blow.

Rey shut her eyes and took in a breath, letting the Force centre her. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the sorrow in Padme's eyes.

This was going to break Rey's heart too. She had many more people in her life now than she had thirteen years ago, but most of those people were either her mentors or children. Losing Padme's friendship would be akin to losing a piece of her heart. "Congratulations on the baby, my friend. Remember that we will always love you."

She went to the door before Padme could respond. Wrenching it open, she was greeted by the sight of the temperamental Anakin Skywalker.

Rey shoved him back with a hand to the centre of his chest.

He clearly hadn't been expecting that, his eyes going large as he stumbled back. Righting himself into an offensive stance, his fist coming around toward her.

Rey had her staff in her hands, redirecting his swing with a twist of her wrist. Within her next movement her staff was between, one end a breath from his raised chin and exposed throat.

He froze, his eyes livid. But he didn't move, clearly aware that it would only take a thought for her to ignite her saberstaff and fry his brains.

"Rey," Obi-Wan cautioned.

She spoke low, realizing how pissed off she was as well. She despised anyone who hurt Obi-Wan, and because of this man, one of her dearest friends was going to have to rebreak his heart. "Padme tells me you're the finest pilot in the galaxy. I would like to see your ship, Skywalker."

He glowered at her a moment longer, then smirked at her, and Rey lowered her staff. He gave her a slight bow, and gestured a hand toward the hanger, "Right this way, Little Palpatine."

Rey walked forward, head high without looking back.

Ahsoka fell into step beside her as Skywalker stalked behind them.

"What just happened?" Ahsoka whispered.

"Standard desert greeting," Rey answered, sending a wave of support through the bond to Obi-Wan.

Wondering why the galaxy would allow such hurt to such a kind soul.

* * *

Obi-Wan was suspicious as he entered Padme's rooms. "What's wrong?" he asked, Sabe slipping out from the room. "Is your baby alright?"

She scowled up at him, "Is it really that obvious, I thought this dress would hide me better."

He smiled, "No, your child shines in the Force. So brightly, in fact, I might think you were carrying twins like Rey."

"It's just the boy," she said sharply, then asked, "Wait, you knew before Maul?"

"I live with her, she hasn't seen Maul in a number of months."

"I do not understand their relationship, not at all."

He smiled, "Their relationship is as strange as they are."

"And you're okay with that?"

"It works for them."

"But now that there are babies?"

"The Jedi still raise their younglings in communities, some stay with their parents on Serreno, but even then, more often than not, a friend will follow the youngling home. Parents find themselves becoming a part of creche communities despite themselves. Rey spends a great deal of time with the younglings and initiates as it is. I believe she will love her own children as much as she loves the others."

"Shouldn't a mother love her children more than others?" Padme asked, her mind clearly spinning as she tried to understand.

"Rey is a true Jedi, Padme. She is compassionate towards all if they allow it." Obi-Wan touched her arm and she flinched away from him. "What is wrong?" he asked.

"Anakin doesn't like the Jedi," she said.

"So he told us."

"Wait? He was openly rude to you, that's not like him. I mean when Rey got in his face but…"

"He was quite impolite until Panaka showed up. Your people seem to adore him."

"They do, he's the best thing to happen to us since-"

"You?" he offered.

She flushed, "Obi-Wan…"

He ran a hand over his beard, not wanting to encroach on her physical space again. She looked… defeated. Had she and Rey gotten into a fight? About the babies?

She looked up at him, her eyes a well of sadness, "Anakin is a jealous man."

He stilled, "You told him about us?" He should have realized she would tell her current husband, but she had never mentioned it.

Then ain, that wasn't really any of his business.

Not answering, she smoothed her hands over her clothes, a nervous gesture for her.

"I swear, Padme, I didn't taunt him. I would never do that."

She sighed, "It isn't that. He's… He is in love with me."

"Can you blame him?" he asked, taking a hesitant step toward her.

She shut her eyes and dropped her head.

He felt her pain in the Force, and he closed the space between them, touching her chin, "He isn't hurting you, is he?"

She looked up at him, "No, he's never raised a hand to me."

He cupped her face, willing to do just about anything to ease her suffering. "Then what is wrong, Padme?"

She touched his hands, "I've tried to love him. And I don't hate him, he isn't repulsive, but-"

He dropped his hands to her shoulders, wanting more than anything to wrap her in his arms. Through the Force, he felt her pain as if it were his own heart breaking. "But?"

Tears spilled from her eyes, "I'm still in love with you, Obi-Wan."

Force help him. When she laid her hands on his neck, he bent toward without resistance. He knew he shouldn't, he knew this would hurt him and her more later on… Yet no matter how hard he tried to give his feelings to the Force, no matter how he devoted himself to his studies, to teaching Ahsoka, nothing could make him forget.

He still loved her as much as he had three years ago when she turned down his own offer of marriage.

Her lips met his, and it was simultaneously the same as it had been and better than a memory. He gave in and wrapped his arms around her, holding her warmth close to him. His heart breaking with hers, knowing deep down that this would be the last time they touched.

The farewell had been written on her face.

_Anakin is a jealous man._

He pulled back and looked down at her, wishing he could skip the next few minutes.

Padme reached up to wipe the tears away from his cheeks, tears he hadn't noticed. He had managed to keep himself together last time and every time he had seen her since.

"I love you," she said.

He ran a thumb over her cheek, "Goodbye, Padme."

He went to the door before she could tell him she never wanted to see him again.

She didn't call him back.

That they had stayed friends at all after they had broken up was something he had been told was odd. The Jedi didn't exactly have a dating culture, and he hadn't thought it was odd, because he couldn't have wished to marry her and not respect her. Respect her boundaries, her choices. But as his heart that had once been broken shattered anew, when she hadn't even said anything he hadn't already known to be true, he finally understood why breakups ended friendships.

He didn't go the main route to the hanger. He took the servants' passageways and watched from the alcove as Senator Skywalker, in all his finery, his gold earrings winking in the sunlight, stode back down the main hallways to his wife.

Rey turned to him and he began to go to them, her expression was closed off.

Ahsoka ran at him, catching him in a hug. "I'm so sorry, Master."

He hugged her back and let out a heavy sigh, "I'll be alright, Padawan."

Ahsoka pulled back, "I can't believe Padme married that peacock."

He let out a surprised laugh, "Let's get out of here before security locks us down."

Rey's expression grew darker, "You think the guard would turn on you? They know you, you were one of them."

He herded both females into the ship, "I think that Senator Skywalker is a charming personality."

Rey scoffed, "I know Banthas with better temperaments."

Obi-Wan glanced back at the Nubian palace, "We weren't meant to feel welcomed."

Ahsoka took the copilot seat, readying the ship, "Well, they got their wish."

Obi-Wan dropped into the seat behind his Padawan, "So it would seem."

* * *

Qui-Gon was pretty sure he and Dooku had only been given this assignment because Rey was off-world when Duchess Satine sent in a request to meet.

The Duchess and her husband, Duke Cody Kryze, met them in the throne room.

"Ah, finally some people of taste," Dooku remarked as they crossed the long hall.

Qui-Gon swallowed a smile, Dooku had gone to great lengths to ensure the Temple of Jenza, while not as large as the Coruscant Temple, was just as beautiful. Or as Dooku would claim, more beautiful.

"Jedi Masters Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn," announced one of the guards.

They bowed in unison.

Duchess Satine smiled at them, "I did not think we would be graced by _two_ Council Members."

"Your surprise is no greater than my own for the undesired position I find myself in of being a Council Member," Qui-Gon said.

Satine laughed, "Your hair may be grey, Master Jinn, but you have not changed."

"Ah, well let me return such kind words, you have grown into quite the woman and leader, your parents would be proud of you," he said, having protected Satine in her youth when her father had died in the war.

She inclined her head, in gratitude.

"What is it we can do for, Duchess, Duke?" Dooku asked. The question had been driving the Makeshi Master half mad.

Mandalore often offered their help over the last few years. It was announced to be open season on slave traders, a call that the Mandalorian warriors had taken to with glee. But they never asked for help.

Well, they had asked for Rey's help as her friends continued to get her to convert to becoming a Mandalorian and leaving the magic aside.

Cody, who, as they all suspected, had been granted the rank of Duke because as a clone he wasn't a pacifist, said, "We have been getting disturbing requests and reports."

"Disturbing how?" Dooku asked.

"Do you remember Death Watch?" Satine asked wryly.

Dooku gave her a look, having once run afoul of the terrorist group, that remark was more a jab than a question.

"I told you that you shouldn't have come," Qui-Gon muttered under his breath, before he said louder, "Of course, have they continued to cause trouble?"

"Yes," Satine answered, "But we've also had individual groups report strange infighting and disappearances."

"They are terrorists, and they are asking for your help?" Dooku asked.

"We have reports of Mandalorians being kidnapped, some return, others do not. Of those who return, some have been exhibiting both Force sensitive abilities and madness."

Qui-Gon and Dooku exchanged a look. This is why Dooku had come, because what the Duchess was describing is what had happened to Jango Fett. Jango Fett who had murdered Dooku and Dooku's sister in their own home.

"Where are they now?" Dooku asked.

"Gone, some of them died, but the bodies are never retrievable."

"What do you mean by unretrievable?" Qui-Gon asked.

"I don't know. There was an attack in one of the moons, and the warrior brought down a building. Some of the footage shows the man pulling down a supporting beam with an 'invisible rope'."

Cody picked up the rest of the story from his wife, "And we know they are insane because the man pulled the building down on himself. But when the rubble was removed, no body was located."

"Strange," Qui-Gon said, "Do you have any more details?"

"We can show you the footage," Satine said, "But otherwise, we only have missing person reports and one anonymous tip."

"Pertaining to what?" Dooku asked.

"My little sister, Bo-Katan Kryze. She joined a rebel group a few years ago known as the Nite Owls, I haven't seen her since. She, along with twenty others have been reported missing. And those who have come back have disappeared again. Those among them who have died, we cannot confirm are in fact dead, as there have been no bodies found. Most were taken from the Outer Rim, but some were working jobs on Core worlds, several reports from Coruscant in particular."

Qui-Gon felt a chill go down his back, "All of them were bounty hunters?"

"In some form or another, yes," she said.

"None of them have yet been clones," Cody said.

"But someone is hunting Mandalorians," Qui-Gon said.

"And giving them Force powers," Dooku added.

"Which leads to either them losing their sanity or their lives," Satine said.

"Or both," Cody said.

Qui-Gon sighed, this didn't sound like it was going to have a simple solution.

* * *

**_Sigificant Brain Damage_ has the Mandos you are looking for**: So the great thing about writing fanfiction is basically allowing so many people into your creative process and building on ideas that become better ideas. In this case, this story's Mando plot is getting cannibalized by _Significant Brain Damage_, and the Vader Plotline, unfortunately, is being bagged because the Disney Sequels have depressed me to the point of no longer enjoying playing in this world of thought. This year I have dived so deep into Legends that I'm just very deeply unhappy with them. I put more work into plotting this story than those three movies did and I just, no, just no. That's not okay, especially as the Mandalorian proves they could have done it right. So, hope you enjoyed this journey.


	44. Draft: You Shouldn't Have

_**The New Ending **_is updated_** Chapter 40 - **__**_**A Fond Farewell**_.**_

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Epilogue - A Legacy of the Force

Some say that there is no death, there is only the Force where there are others who would like to believe that with the Force there is no death.

The reality is that the Force is reality, it is all and it is nothing. It is as much the stars as the darkness between them.

Rey's parents were not a part of the visible threads of this fabric, and yet, they remained as the light from dead stars, warmth and light provided eons after existence, time long since passing them by.

Grandmaster Rey Palpatine's first Jedi was Princess Leia Organa. Rey became the teacher of the would-have-been Rebel General who made her believe that the galaxy was bigger than any darkness could overcome. Leia being the hurricane of this story to Rey's butterfly. Leader of the Jedi Order of Serreno, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's first daughter was named Reyna Amidala Kenobi.

As to the story of how Queen Padme Naberrie Amidala found herself briefly married to a Sith Lord to save her planet from Darth Sidious's spite, post-decapitation, and bore, to her great worry, twin Skywalker children, and then was subsequently rescued by Master Qui-Gon Jinn who used a ploy of faking his own death.

It is important at this moment to say that Qui-Gon used a rather clever line in answer to Padme saying in the midst of escaping her palace on Mustafar, "The Queen would not approve of your sacrifice." To which Qui-Gon would have responded with the line this entire fanfiction was leading up to, with a cheeky smile on a suspiciously smooth face, "The queen does not need to know." All of that other story being a part of an epic series of events that had a Mandalorian army teaming up with a massive Jedi strike team, as well as Dathomirians, to defeat a Sith Dyad. Ending on Darth Vader getting slain by his trusted advisor, (Qui-Gon Jinn/Anakin redemption death arch). Well, that is another story ;D And one that ended with Obi-Wan and Padme finding each other again, but this time, living happily ever after with long and fulfilling (if chaotic and infuriating to everyone who ever opposed them) lives.

For Mandalorian Ahsano Kenobi and Clone Ishaan Palpatine, they could not have been more proud of their daughter nor the song the Force chose to sing.

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End of Act II: Daughter of a Clone

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So if you go back to _**Chapter 40 - A Fond Farewell** _you will find this new ending to this fic before Anakin shows up. The last few chapters are basically original work that while well received by a dear few has been ill-received by a great many more. This fic is extremely taxing to write due to the amount of work it takes to plot and adapt each chapter that has no canonical road map. While still fun, the more I read into pre-era New Hope, the more depressed I get about what Disney did in the Rey trilogy. The next time I read over the entire fic again I will post a final outtake chapter that has the would have been direction of the plot, the crack skits, and the draft of the epilouge. I sincerely apologize to those who honestly liked this fic, however, in a couple of years from now I will hopefully get my own original work published that will have this style of story telling. Please enjoy my other Time Travel fics.

For the Mandos I promised, much of their plot from this story will reappear in _Significant Brain Damage._

**Significant Brain Damage - **

Luke Skywalker finds himself in the past as Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan finds himself retraining his old apprentice who has permanent amnesia while also taking on Anakin's Padawan, being a General, a Council member -during a Galactic Civil War, and fighting for a Republic he's beginning to lose faith in. Clone Wars, no slash, no paradox, no easy fix it. [MANDO CENTRIC FIC]

_**The Kenobi Scandal -**  
_One moment they are speeding on their way to Mos Eisley, only to be hit by a Force instigated sandstorm and the next thing Ben Kenobi knows Luke can't find the droids. What's a Jedi to do when he finds himself back before the fall of the Republic? Come up with a cover story more scandalous than time travel: Luke, this is Anakin Skywalker. Anakin, this is my son, Luke Kenobi. [My Fix-it story.]

**The Making of Mavericks** -  
Master Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn't let her walk out into the galaxy without a lifeline. With Commander Cody and Captain Rex at his side, Obi-Wan tries to give Ahsoka some well meant advice. But the Force was listening and decided these four souls needed to blaze a better path. With all that has happened to them, waking up twenty-five years in the past shouldn't be a big deal, right? [Qui-Gon, Dooku, Sifo-Dyas, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Cody, and Rex - Basically the character development from the _Queen Does not Need to Know_ in a drama/character centric fic]

**Return of the Father -**

Mark Hamill needed a better trilogy sequel, I needed a better prequel, and Anakin Skywalker needed a loving father. As the Whills would have it, Luke Skywalker finds that the Force's idea of time travel involves shuffling the cards of his life. Luke Lars truly was no one from nowhere, but his part to play in the galaxy was far greater than being a Jedi or an outstanding pilot. [Is a short fic somewhat of a one-shot-esque plot.]

**The Darkness Between the Stars -**

What if I told you that Dooku became a Sith but he choose not to murder his old best friend. Sifo-Dyas was around to handle Anakin's visions and Padme became most insistent on finding her own kriffing assassin. What will become of a fated meeting on Geonosis if it occurred on Kamino? And why would Dooku pass up the opportunity to have not one but two armies? The Republic will fall, the only question is who or what will fill the void? A re-imaging of the Attack of the Clones and the Clones Wars if Obi-Wan had joined Dooku. AU. Not, shockingly, a time travel. Obi-dalla [Coming Soon]


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